Destinations › India › Jaipur › Scams
Jaipur, India
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Jaipur, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Claims that a monument is closed for a religious ceremony, followed by an offer to visit shops or a different site instead.
The gem export scheme: visitors are befriended, taken to a stone dealer, and persuaded to buy gems for resale abroad at a guaranteed profit that does not exist. The stones are near-worthless and the promised buyer never materialises.
Unlicensed guides at forts and palaces attaching themselves to visitors and demanding a fee well above the official guide rate.
Shortchanging in market stalls where prices are negotiated verbally and no receipt is given.
Distraction theft in the crowded bazaar lanes of the old walled city, often involving a staged argument nearby.
Imitation gemstones, silver and block-printed textiles sold as genuine with fabricated certificates of authenticity.
Camel and elephant ride operators quoting a price per person then demanding much more at the end, or adding compulsory photograph fees.
Touts selling monument entry and 'guide packages' outside official ticket windows at substantial markups.
Auto-rickshaw drivers offering very cheap sightseeing rates in exchange for compulsory stops at commission-paying shops.
Heritage guesthouses reassigning a booked room to a lower standard on arrival while charging the original rate.
