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Bogotá, Colombia
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Bogotá, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
"Scopolamine" spiked-drink incidents used to incapacitate and rob victims, particularly in nightlife settings.
"Paseo millonario" — an express-kidnapping taxi ride that empties several bank accounts across multiple ATMs over hours — named by the US State Department as the leading cause of tourist financial loss in Colombia; always use Uber/Cabify, never a street-hailed cab.
Serious, well-documented pattern: dating-app matches lure tourists to a meeting point or their home, leading to robbery or "express kidnapping," where the victim is forced to withdraw cash from ATMs.
Counterfeit peso notes given as change, especially from taxis or market vendors.
Pickpocketing and phone-snatching on public transport and in crowded areas of La Candelaria and nightlife districts, sometimes using flyers or staged incidents as a distraction.
A street vendor (often offering a shoe-shine) quotes a token price, then demands a wildly inflated amount once the service is already done.
Some taxis run a modified meter with a hidden button that manually inflates the fare mid-ride.
Street vendors and small exchange counters shortchanging tourists paying with large peso notes.
A stranger hands over a camera for a photo, deliberately drops it, and demands payment for the "damage."
A "bird poop" spill (staged) prompts a stranger to "help" clean it off while an accomplice picks the tourist's pocket.
