Planning a trip to the Philippines? Know about the most common scams to avoid in the Philippines before you do! One great way to enjoy your trip and to make sure that nothing can go wrong is to know what are the common frauds and scams tourists go through upon visiting the country so that it will not happen to you! Though the Philippines is a country full of welcoming people, having enough knowledge about these scams will not hurt you either!
As we walk you through the various scams in the Philippines that you should definitely avoid, we have also prepared a list of things you should remember during your stay. Get ready because these tips and tricks from us will surely make your holiday in the Philippines a very unforgettable one; you might even be convinced to learn Tagalog!
Here Are Those Scams To Avoid In The Philippines!
Knowing these scams in the Philippines will surely be able to prepare for your next trip to this beautiful country with more caution! Aside from that, it will certainly allow you to save money too! With these common scams and how to avoid such, you can also identify the red flag that should also be looked out for in the home country that isn’t yours. If this is something that you are interested in, be sure that you read more down below!
Tanim-Bala Scam
One of the most common scams in the Philippines, even with overseas Filipino workers, is the Tanim-Bala Scam, better known as the Bullet-Planting Scam. With this type of fraud, bullets are planted or even placed directly in luggages and bags of the passenger.
With this type of modus, scammers demand a huge amount of money to drop the charges against the planted bullets. And so, if you plan to travel in the Philippines, it is safer to lock your luggages using a padlock or at least cover your bags with tape to avoid this type of scam. Because even if you really have no intentions of bringing any sorts of ammunition in the country, there are certainly a lot of scammers that might just pull this type of fraud to you, your family, and even friends. If you find yourself in a similar situations, it is best that you approach the nearest airport police right away!
Taxi Scams
This is definitely one of the scams that you should always look out for, even when you are not in the Philippines! Taxi scams are one of the most common frauds a tourist can experience when they are out and about exploring a different country. Given that you don’t know much about the place or are not very familiar with their public transportation and would love to just go the convenient option, you still should be wary of the taxi drivers you are with.
Taxi scams are essentially the type of scams that demand a higher fare than usual, or they purposely have a broken meter so that you pay a higher amount than usual, especially during rush hour! If not, the taxi driver sometimes just demands a higher fare or a fixed price and turns off the meter if they can sense that you are a tourist for their own financial gain.
That said, if you plan to go around the Philippines and you want to just book a car to go from a certain point to another, it is best that you use Grab or rent a car to avoid these types of scams. Better to be safe than sorry!
Card Skimming Scam
Another type of fraud that you should be wary of, especially when you are in the Philippines, is the card skimming scam. If you do not want to give away your credit card details, or give out any information related to your bank account, always be cautious when you are withdrawing money from ATM machines!
Scammers typically use an electronic device that also serves as a card reader that takes away your personal details and information. Like other scams, people that are unaware of their surroundings fall prey to these types of scams. That said, if you are making payments using your debit or ATM card, always stay alert and be active in observing whether there are devices attached to the machine because before you may even know it, these bad guys might’ve just stolen money from you!
Spiked Drinks Scam
Never accept drinks from people that you don’t know or leave your drinks unattended! Though the Philippines is home to amazing and unforgettable nightlife, make it a point not to accept drinks from anyone! Because, of course, we feel you – partying is fun, especially when you find people that you vibe with.
Though that may be the case, these can also be ways in which one can steal your belongings from you or, worse, harass you. That said, drinking responsibly is one, but accepting drinks from people that you don’t know should also be something that should not leave your mind!
Pickpocket Scams
Another scam that you should know about and you should avoid are pickpocket scams. If you find yourself going around the busy streets of Manila and Cebu like Divisoria as well as Carbon, always be cautious of your surroundings.
Though these places are filled with awesome history and show you a part of the Philippines that you have not seen before, it is also very notorious for pickpocketing schemes because these places are very crowded too!
Online Banking Scams
Another common scam that you might want to avoid is the online banking scam. From the word itself, these types of scams steal your online account passwords and even personal details to steal money from you. Like the Card Skimming Scams, though they can happen to you, there are also ways in which you can avoid them.
If you are traveling to the Philippines, it is best that you have your own pocket wifi or at least have a virtual private network so that you will be able to keep your personal details private. Typically, these scammers love to hack public networks so that they will be able to steal this private information from you. That said, if you cannot have your own wifi, you can have your mobile data just to be safe and protect your banking details from these frauds!
How Do You Avoid These Scams? These Are The 2 Best Tips!
Scams happen a lot, and it is not something that we can not stop. But, we can surely have a lot of safety measures that can help us avoid scams! In this part of the blog, we will give you the most useful trips and tricks that will surely help you go around the Philippines with more ease and comfort!
Always Be Wary Of Your Surroundings
Whether you are inside shopping malls or even inside money changers, always stay alert and focused on the things that are happening around you. This will help you avoid shopping scams and schemes that might ruin your trip. Though sometimes it is easier said than done, given that you are excited for your trip, common sense should still be present!
If you are inside a taxi, you might want to consider using Google Maps so that you know where you are because sometimes the taxi driver might take longer routes to let you pay more! Aside from that, you can also take note of its plate number and taxi details in case something goes wrong as well!
Keep Your Belongings Close
One of the best ways to avoid common scams in the Philippines is to definitely keep your important things and documents near you and never leave them unattended. If you are going to a very crowded area, it is best that you go with a family member or someone you know that is familiar with the place to avoid pickpockets and the various types of scammers.
From investment scams down to the notorious money changer scams, these are just a couple of ways that will help you avoid such scams. Apart from that, knowing basic phrases of the country, especially Tagalog phrases for emergencies will also come a long way too!
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One Response
thank you