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At temples in Cambodia, a random man might ask you to donate to the temple after a few minutes of chit-chat. Don't. Put money in the locked donation boxes, if you like. Furthermore, don't buy baby formula for beggar women- they'll ask you to buy the most expensive brand, then return it to the shop and either keep the profits or split them with the shopkeeper. Another Cambodia tip; don't go on an "orphanage tour." 75% of children you see in most "orphanages" have at least one living parent and take home a small cut of the money you give. The fake orphanage schemes in Cambodia are a huge problem and locals will likely be the first to warn you about it. In Ueno Park in Tokyo, there are men standing there with a sign claiming that they are Buddhist monks who live on donations. They're not. The scams described in the OP as happening in China and Japan are common throughout East and Southeast Asia, so keep an eye out. However, a lot of the situations described in the OP are also ones you can walk away from; too loving bad if the guide/local doesn't like it and gets aggressive. They're probably not going to pop you. Don't give to children begging in the street...like, anywhere. They usually give the money over to a tout/gangster who's higher up on the food chain than they are. Another popular scam in China is the "art scam" where a young person approaches you, offers to guide you around for free so they can practice their English, and then asks you to visit their art student gallery. This isn't actually much of a scam because you can actually buy some interesting stuff, but there is the potential for people to get aggressive. That said, I have bought some really beautiful stuff from these guys in the past, so who cares? and never go to Times Square anyways lol why
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Mar 27, 2016 14:41
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 17:02 |
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Sorry? I still think it's good to be aware of it. FWIW I've only seen them on weekends. Also, anything where you lie to strangers to get money is pretty much a scam. 
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Apr 1, 2016 09:37
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zmcnulty posted:That's why I used the word stretching. Yes it contains deception and strangers and money. But it's not like those guys are smooth talking their way into your trip or trying to sell you fake camera lenses. There are actual monks that do that too, nationwide. Did you ask for his monk begging license or what? No, but you can do that anytime you think the monk in question is not-a-monk. Stretching must have different meanings to different people. Since the definition of a scam, according to Google, is "a dishonest scheme; a fraud," I don't consider my example "stretching." I don't see why I should be getting poo poo for posting it, either, especially since as a former Tokyo resident I knew quite a few naive tourists/new English teachers who fell for it. But hey, whatever, man.
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Apr 1, 2016 11:01
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