Polish Currency Exchange Scam
Photo by epSos .de/Flickr CC
Be careful if you are traveling to Krakow, Poland. There is a big Polish currency exchange scam there. Many “legitimate looking” establishments near the Old Town and around the train station have excellent rates posted out the front. But that’s only if you exchange a small fortune (like 1,000 euro!!).
In the back, where hardly anybody reads, is the rate posted if you exchange under the small fortune, where they will then take a small fortune from you. It is always a good idea to have the currency changer write the rate down for you before agreeing to a transaction. The only fair exchange office which offers Polish currency that is close to the market square and on the way from Railway station is the one which is open 24 hours. It is CFS 24h Exchange (Pawia 12 street). This is the only tourist oriented exchange office that has transparent and fair rates. You can always check out the current rates on the website: http://www.exchange.krakow.pl/.
Thank you to Alex Kallimanis from Wanderlust Marriage for bringing this scam to our attention.
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Thank you for sharing this with your readers! Really glad we discovered your site. It’s a great concept…As global travel expands, so do those that seek to take advantage. Really important to help people stay vigilant. Good work!
Cheers,
Alex
Alex-Wanderlust Marriage recently posted…5 Ways to Know You’ve Become European
Thank you for making us aware of this scam, Alex! And thanks for following along.
Its sad because this will scare away tourists. No one wants to go somewhere where they think they will be scammed in the process. Thanks for sharing though
Hi, I have visited Krakow 3 weeks ago and I had not any problems with money exchange. Just do not exchange your money in the center of the city and asking for how much PLN you will get for your money. Good luck.