logo
← Back to India Travel Guide for Foreigners

Common Scams During a Visit to India: Be Careful

📋 Quick Navigation

🚕
Taxi & Transport Scams
💎
Shopping & Gem Scams
👨‍🏫
Fake Tour Guide Scams
💳
ATM & Money Scams
🍽️
Restaurant & Food Scams
🎫
Travel Booking Scams
🤲
Charity & Beggar Scams
🛡️
Prevention Tips

Common Scams During a Visit to India: Be Careful

Like most of the popular tourist destinations in the world, some tourist scams are also found in India. Foreign tourists are especially targeted who are not familiar with local rules, prices and culture.

This guide explains the most common travel scams happening not only in India but in other countries of the world, their methods and practical ways to avoid them. The right information is your most important security.

🚕 Taxi and Transport Scams

Common taxi scams to watch out for:

  • 'Your Hotel is Closed' Scam - Drivers claim your hotel is closed and take you to commission hotels
  • Meter tampering and high fares - Taxis refuse to use meter or meter runs fast
  • Detour (Long Way) Scam - Drivers deliberately take longer routes
  • Commission Taxi Tours - Drivers take you to shops where they get commission

How to avoid: Use pre-paid taxis, book online apps (Uber/Ola), fix fare before starting, call your hotel to confirm it's open.

💎 Shopping and Gem Scams

The Gem Export Scam - A 'local' lures you to buy gems with promises of profit. Gems are usually fake.

Commission Shops - Drivers/guides take you to overpriced shops where they get commission.

Carpet and Textile Scams - Promised export quality items turn out to be low quality.

  • Never buy gems or jewelry for 'export business'
  • Shop at government emporiums or reputable stores
  • Don't let drivers choose where you shop
  • Ask locals for honest shop recommendations

👨‍🏫 Fake Tour Guide Scams

Unofficial guides misrepresent themselves as official guides and charge excessive fees.

How to avoid:

  • Book guides from your hotel or tourism office
  • Check for government-issued ID badges
  • Fix the price before starting the tour
  • Ignore guides who approach you at monuments

💳 ATM and Money Scams

Card skimming - Devices steal your card information

Fake helping hand - Someone 'helps' you and steals your PIN

How to avoid:

  • Use ATMs inside banks during banking hours
  • Cover the keypad when entering PIN
  • Don't accept help from strangers at ATMs
  • Check for suspicious devices on the ATM

🍽️ Restaurant and Food Scams

Menu price tricks - Different prices for tourists vs locals

Bill padding - Extra items added to your bill

How to avoid:

  • Check prices on menu before ordering
  • Ask if service charge and taxes are included
  • Review bill carefully before paying
  • Eat at places with visible price lists

🎫 Travel Booking Scams

Fake travel agencies - Taking advance payment and disappearing

Train ticket scams - Fake tickets or overcharging

How to avoid:

  • Book tickets only from official websites (irctc.co.in for trains)
  • Verify agency credentials before paying
  • Don't book through random agents on the street
  • Keep copies of all bookings

🤲 Charity and Beggar Scams

Fake charities - People collecting money for fake NGOs

Professional beggars - Organized begging operations

Baby rental scams - Women rent babies to look more sympathetic

How to avoid:

  • Donate to verified NGOs only
  • Don't give money to street beggars (give to shelters instead)
  • Be especially cautious around tourist areas
  • If you want to help, donate food rather than money

🛡️ General Prevention Tips

  • Do your research before traveling
  • Book transportation and accommodation online in advance
  • Learn about fair prices for common services
  • Trust your instincts - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
  • Don't feel pressured to make quick decisions
  • Keep emergency numbers saved in your phone
  • Stay calm and polite even when rejecting scammers

Related Guides

FAQs

The 'Hotel is Closed' scam is very common. Taxi or auto drivers claim your hotel is closed, flooded, or demolished, then take you to another hotel where they get commission. Always call your hotel to confirm and insist on going to your booked hotel. Use online cab apps like Uber or Ola to avoid this.
Use pre-paid taxis at airports and railway stations, or book through online apps. In Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida, many taxis don't run meters - online booking is better. Always fix the fare before starting, check if the meter starts from zero, and ask hotel staff about general fares and guidelines for reference.
A friendly 'local' or driver lures you to buy gems at cheap rates with promises of profit when selling in your country. In most cases, the gems are fake or worthless. Never buy gems based on profit promises, avoid gem shops with strangers, and remember that what looks like a great deal is often a scam. This also happens in religious places like Haridwar and Rishikesh with fake Rudraksha.
Outside monuments, people misrepresent themselves as 'official guides' and charge excessive fees. Always book guides from your hotel or tourism office, check for government guide ID, fix price and time in advance, and use audio guides where available.
Drivers or guides take you to shops where they get commission, and prices are deliberately high. Research stores in advance, shop from government emporiums, avoid forced shopping, and leave immediately if you feel pressured. Initial prices can be 3-5 times higher than actual value.
Fake websites look exactly like IRCTC and steal your card details. Only book tickets from www.irctc.co.in, check the URL carefully, don't click on ads or unknown links, and use trusted apps like MakeMyTrip or Cleartrip.
A woman asks you to buy milk for her child instead of giving cash. The shopkeeper charges expensive prices and splits the money with her. It's better to donate to verified NGOs instead. Don't pay for items at inflated prices.
Stay calm, report to the nearest police station, inform your bank immediately if cards are involved, contact your embassy if needed, leave reviews on Google/TripAdvisor to warn others, and keep all receipts and photos safe. Don't escalate the situation.