Destinations › South Korea › Seoul › Scams
Seoul, South Korea
11 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Seoul, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Dating-app matches directing tourists to a specific bar or "hostess" venue in Itaewon or Gangnam with heavily inflated, undisclosed drink charges.
Drivers take a longer route, claim the meter is "broken" and demand a flat rate (often double), or use an old, slow-running meter — Kakao Taxi/Tmap Taxi apps show the fare upfront and are safer.
A booked guesthouse doesn't match its online listing on arrival, or the owner redirects guests to a different, lesser property.
Self-appointed "guides" near palaces or markets offer free or cheap help, then charge a large fee afterward or steer tourists to a commission shop or restaurant.
Restaurants and cosmetics shops with no displayed prices charge foreign tourists significantly more than what locals pay for the same item.
Some bars in nightlife districts like Itaewon add undisclosed cover or "table" charges well above posted prices.
Unofficial exchange booths or private currency deals offering unfavorable rates or counterfeit notes.
Pickpocketing on crowded subway lines during rush hour in major tourist interchange stations.
Market stalls in tourist-heavy shopping districts selling counterfeit branded goods.
Fake monks hand out "free" good-luck amulets, then guilt tourists into a temple "donation," sometimes using a notebook of prior donor names and amounts to pressure a bigger sum.
Street touts for bars and clubs making misleading claims about included drinks or entry fees.
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