VISITING INDIA? WATCH OUT FOR...

You’ve probably encountered the occasional ‘broken meter’ and incorrect change. But if you’re white and travelling through India, the scams are on another level

YOUR HOTEL? IT’S BURNED DOWN

Tired, just-landed first-time visitors at the airport or train station are perfect marks. Taxi and rickshaw drivers will typically tell them that the hotel they’re staying at has moved, changed names or shut, and offer an alternative hotel, from which the driver makes a commission.

THIS WAY TO THE TOURIST OFFICE

It happens most often at busy, long-distance train stations. A tourist will be met by a man in uniform informing them that their train has been cancelled. The uniformed man then offers to take them to the booking counter for a new journey at a much higher price. The uniform is fake, and the booking counter is a private company that makes a quick buck.

THE LOCKDOWN THAT ISN’T

Tourists at the Delhi Airport Metro have been stopped by uniformed men telling them that the route they’re trying to take is closed to tourists for the day owing to a religious ceremony. A uniformed man will walk up to confirm it, and offer to take them to the tourist office – often a private operator. They’ll pretend to call the tourist’s hotel and have some man on the line tell them that their booking has been cancelled because they didn’t arrive on time. The men will then offer alternative hotel packages.

NOT YOUR SIM CARD

While mobile phone connections are easy for tourists to buy, neighbourhood stores, particularly in small towns, often pass on used SIM cards, pocketing the money to register a new number. Tourists then end up dealing with calls from unknown people, or having their connections cut off in a few days.

THE BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

At religious sites, it’s not uncommon for holy men to agree to perform a ceremony for a fixed fee, say Rs 100. But during the rites, he’ll ask how many members arein the tourist’s family and will perform rituals for each one, later telling the visitor that they meant Rs 100 per person in the family.

THE INFLATED RESTAURANT BILL

Restaurants that get a lot of tourists tend to sneakily add items a patron didn’t order – often additional bottles of mineral water, more cocktails than were consumed, and a similar-sounding but more expensive item on the menu.

THE GEMSTONE HEIST

Tourists will be approached by a jewellery exporter looking to send gemstones out of the country via your duty-free allowance. They won’t ask for money, but promise a commission after you land in your home country and someone picks them up. The trouble begins when the tourist gets a call from the Customs Department, as intimated by the exporter. The officer asks to see a bill, and since there’s none, he’ll accuse the tourist of theft – asking them to pay a fine or face arrest. The jeweller will suggest the tourist pay the fine and be reimbursed later. The twist: the call was never from Customs, but an accomplice of the person who isn’t even a jeweller.

BEGGING FOR GOODS

Since most tourists won’t give money to beggars, kids ask them to buy fruits or pens, or women will ask for milk or biscuits for their children, from the local shop. Both groups return the products to the store later, sharing the cash with the storekeeper.

NO SUCH THING AS A FREE ELEPHANT

For a foreign visitor, the sight of an elephant on the street is exotic enough to stop and engage. Mahouts know this and will guide the animal towards touristy areas. They’ll expect money if you take photos with it, pet it, or stand around admiring it.

THE FRIEND WITH BENEFITS

It’s not unusual for foreigners to get noticed on Indian streets. But if someone gets friendly and mentions his uncle’s sheep farm in Kashmir and his cousin’s cheap Pashmina shop, watch out, it’s just expensive viscose.