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Nairobi, Kenya
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Nairobi, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Coordinated theft in the central business district and at matatu stages, one person creating a spill or a collision while a second takes bags and phones.
Mobile-money reversal fraud: a payment is claimed to have been sent in error and a refund requested before the original transfer is found never to have cleared.
Drivers at the airport working the arrivals kerb with fixed 'airport rates' several times the app price, and app drivers calling ahead to ask passengers to cancel and pay cash.
Men presenting fake identification as police or immigration officers, demanding to inspect documents and wallets, and levying an on-the-spot 'fine'.
Safari operators taking deposits for trips that do not exist, or downgrading the vehicle, park and lodge on the day after full payment.
Bills in tourist-strip restaurants carrying unordered items and undisclosed service charges.
Charity and school-visit solicitations in tourist areas collecting cash for institutions that cannot be verified.
Craft-market 'helpers' who attach themselves as guides, negotiate on your behalf, and take a share of an inflated price.
Machine-made imports sold as handmade Maasai beadwork and soapstone at craft-market prices for handmade work.
Shortchanging on large notes in markets and by unlicensed changers quoting a rate that is revised downward once the money is handed over.
