Most Common Peru Travel Scams
There are many glorious places to visit in Peru, so it’s hard to imagine travel scams happening in a place so incredible, but they do. Border crossing scams seem are the main ones that are played on unsuspecting tourists. On the border between Peru and Bolivia, border officials have told tourists that they need to check their luggage. What they are really checking for is money. If they find any, they will tell the tourist that the currency is counterfeit and must be confiscated. They will then, of course, pocket the money for themselves. The best way to avoid this situation is to carry very little money across the border and to keep it in a money belt. Counterfeit money is very common in Peru, so be very careful. Never offer to give someone change on the street (swapping a big bill for smaller denominations.) Usually, the money is counterfeit.
Another scam happens from the taxi drivers going from Peru to Chile. They will try to tell you that you owe the equivalent of $20 for a tourist card to cross the border. This isn’t true, so don’t pay it. The only people who you should pay a fee to would be the officials at the border, not your taxi driver. Also, make sure that you only take officially licensed taxis in Peru. Always set your price with the taxi driver before getting into the cab, as they don’t use meters in Peru.
Many local Peruvians are known to invite you to go to lunch or dinner with them, but then they expect you to pay. Just be aware of this if you do accept an invitation.
Another common scam in Peru that is hard to believe that people actually fall for is one in which someone will come to you and say they have a winning lottery ticket. They will make up an excuse about why they can’t claim it themselves and offer to sell it to you for a lower price than the winnings are. Of course, this is a scam.
If you have any other Peru scams that you know about, please let me know in the comments section below.
Safe travels!!
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This is such a great site! I am learning about so many travel scams and now I’ll be that much smarter of a traveler when I go to some of these places.
Jennifer recently posted…Carol of the Bells #gAdvRussia
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
I was a victim of scam, we were in the aeroport in Lima peru an was offer a a cell phone for 9.99 and free calls , we thought was a good deol but was not true was scam in only for days my credit card was empty And they keep charging money more that my credit limit, nothing I could do my credit card HSBC took me to court and today I have to pay around 6,000 en costas money that I don’t have . Be carefully don’t rent phones in the aeroport in lima Peru the company is Moviestar.
I had a weird experience in Lima with my friend. Outside some sort of church in the city, we ran into two students – one male and one female who started to talk to us, and we soon made an appointment to meet up later in the day for a drink. The time comes, and they take us to this hard to find, very desolate place up some stairs. The locale was pretty unique and exotic, but I can’t remember any specifics. We all ordered drinks, which they suggested we pay for, and when the bill came, it was RIDICULOUSLY high. Of course, our two new friends argued with the staff for some time, but wasn’t able to get the price down, and I got that weird gut feeling. You know the one. Somehow, I felt like I just were baited. Later, we also ate dinner (and we paid for that, too). Has anyone had a similar experience?
The guy was pretty weird, he was doing cocaine constantly, and he was running in and out of the bathroom all the time. And I remember this weird vibe and funny looks (from staff and customers) in the restaurant, suggesting that we were being fooled (or that the cocaine fiend was being loud, which he was).
Anyway, I’m glad I had that experience, it has made me richer. What do you guys think? Scamtastic situation, two actual students using us, or none of the above?
It definitely sounds like you got scammed. This is becoming more and more common. I think I would have left the scene immediately if someone I just met was constantly doing cocaine.
I´m still not sure if my experience is part of some elaborate scam and if I should be worried or not. I met a guy outside a restaurant in Trujillo and we got talking and decided to have dinner. He asked me how much I was paying for my hostel and said he owns one that charged half the price in Lima. He asked me if I had a phone number so we could get in touch later when I´m in Lima and I said I didn’t but I could add him on Facebook. So I wrote down my name for him and he asked me for my phone number back home. Usually I´d make up some excuse not to (because why would he need my home number anyway) but for some reason I did on this occasion, and then he suggested I sign the paper with my signature so when he contacted me he could verify who he was. Very strange, but for some stupid reason I obliged. I´m not even sure if someone can use my name, number and signature to do steal my identity or something similar, but now the whole exchange seems a bit fishy to me. Should I in any way be worried? It even crossed my mind he was trying to drug me with scopalamine, as I´ve heard stories of people being given pieces of paper by strangers with the powder on it so they accidentally ingest it (my mind wanders…).
So far on my trip I haven´t experience any serious theft or scam attempts so I sort of let my guard down I feel, and I´m definitely going to be more thoughtful about giving out my details in the future, even if this turns out to be innocent!
Yes, that is a really weird situation. Never give your information to anyone!