Tourist Scams in India and How to Avoid Them

Scams are the most common trouble visitors meet in India, according to the governments that advise travellers: Australia says plainly that scams are common, and the UK says scammers, pickpockets and ticket touts target foreign nationals in tourist areas. Between them, the UK, Australian and Canadian governments and Uttar Pradesh Police, whose state includes Agra and Varanasi, describe these:

• Fake and unsolicited guides. Some guides try to sell fraudulent tour packages, Australia says, and some try to "prove" that the tour you have already booked is invalid so that you buy theirs instead.
• Ticket and tour touts. The UK advises avoiding people at railway stations who offer tickets and tours. Australia adds airports and bus stations, where touts may use aggressive tactics and may have no connection with any tour service.
• Taxi tricks. Canada warns of extended taxi rides and offers of cheap transport or accommodation, and Uttar Pradesh Police advises booking hotels in advance so that taxi operators at airports and stations cannot mislead you on arrival.
• Gems, jewellery and carpets. Canada reports scams involving the export of jewels, gemstones, carpets and other goods, in which taxi drivers may offer you money to carry such items. Its advice is not to accept any offer, however convincing.
• Donations and favours. Australia lists temple and religious donations among India's common scams, and warns of touts near government offices, such as the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, who claim they can get you a faster service for a fee.
• Cards and online fraud. The UK says cybercrime, card skimming and confidence scams are common, and that criminals often use the details of British High Commissions and embassies. Canada also warns about romance and investment scams that start online.

The simplest defence is to deal only with people you can trace. Uttar Pradesh Police advises arranging a guide through an authorised tourist agency or your hotel's management, so that the guide's details are on record, and buying entry tickets for monuments at the authorised ticket counter to avoid being overcharged. Australia suggests checking that anyone holding a placard with your name knows where you are going before you follow them.

If someone tells you your booking has been cancelled, your hotel is full or a sight is closed and offers an alternative, check with the company, hotel or site yourself before changing plans. A guide on our own trips is a named person from our panel, checked before meeting a traveller, as our local guides page explains, and our vetting standards rule out forced shopping stops.

Arrival is when visitors are easiest to steer. Uttar Pradesh Police recommends pre-paid taxis or auto-rickshaws wherever they exist, or else paying by the meter or asking to see the fare chart. Canada's advice is to agree the fare before you set off or insist that the driver uses the meter. The UK adds that a hotel driver collecting you at the airport should identify himself properly before you leave.

Booking your first night's room and your airport pick-up before you land removes most of these risks. On our trips, a driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board; see airport transfers. Our page on getting around India at night covers late arrivals.

• At ATMs and shops. Canada advises using ATMs in well-lit public places or inside a bank, covering the keypad with one hand, watching when others handle your card, and checking your statements. Australia warns of a high risk of skimming at ATMs, and Uttar Pradesh Police suggests swiping your card yourself at the payment counter. Our guide to money in India covers cards and cash.
• Visa websites. The Government of India's e-Visa portal says indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/ is the only official website for e-Visas. It warns against agents and intermediaries who promise faster visas for extra money, and against sharing personal details with unauthorised sites; our India e-Visa guide walks through the real application.
• Messages and calls. The UK suggests checking the authenticity of any message that claims to come from an embassy or high commission before you respond.

Some thefts begin with a friendly offer. The UK reports British nationals robbed or assaulted after taking spiked food or drinks, Canada warns that snacks, drinks, gum or cigarettes from new acquaintances may contain drugs, and Uttar Pradesh Police advises against eating anything offered by strangers on buses and trains. Decline politely, and keep your drink with you.

• Report it to the nearest police station and ask for a copy of the report: the UK and Australia both say your insurer will need it.
• For fraud online or by card, call the National Cybercrime Helpline on 1930, which the UK and the National Portal of India both list, or report it on the national cybercrime portal.
• To complain about a tourism company, the UK points to the Ministry of Tourism's helpline on 1800-11-1363 (short code 1363).
• Australia warns that you may not get your money or goods back, and Canada advises against travelling to India to try to recover money lost to a scam.

Our India safety guide puts scams alongside the other risks and the areas governments warn against.