Destinations › United Arab Emirates › Abu Dhabi › Scams
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Abu Dhabi, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Advance-fee recruitment offers for Gulf employment, requesting payment for visas and 'processing' that are never issued. Legitimate employers do not charge candidates.
Rental car operators charging for pre-existing damage and imposing large administrative fees for traffic fines. Photograph the vehicle at handover and get the condition report signed.
Unlicensed desert-safari operators taking payment for trips run without permits, in poorly maintained vehicles, and with itineraries far shorter than advertised.
Fake charity collectors approaching visitors near mosques and shopping centres with laminated sponsorship documents.
Venues adding undisclosed service charges and tourism fees not shown on the menu, presented only in the final bill.
Shortchanging at unlicensed exchange counters and in market stalls on large dirham notes.
Short-let apartment listings taking deposits for properties that are unlicensed for holiday letting and unavailable on arrival.
Counterfeit watches, bags and perfumes sold in the older market districts as genuine, with export of such goods illegal in many destination countries.
Drivers declining the meter for airport and inter-emirate runs and quoting a fixed fare well above it, or adding undisclosed 'booking' surcharges.
Opportunistic theft from bags and phones left on tables in shopping-centre food courts and beach clubs.
