Destinations › Philippines › Cebu City › Scams
Cebu City, Philippines
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Cebu City, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Dating-app contacts arranging meetings at venues where a large bill is presented and departure is obstructed until it is settled.
Island-hopping and diving operators taking payment for trips that are cancelled without refund, or run with equipment and boats well below what was advertised.
Taxis refusing the meter or quoting fixed fares to arriving passengers at the airport and pier, several times the metered rate.
Advance-fee recruitment offers for overseas work, requesting placement and processing payments up front.
Resort and guesthouse bookings not honoured on arrival, with guests moved to lesser properties at the same rate.
Bars in the nightlife districts adding unordered drinks and undisclosed charges to bills.
Counterfeit branded goods and electronics accessories in the city markets sold as genuine.
Shortchanging at money changers advertising strong rates, and at market stalls on large peso notes.
The 'ATM helper' approach, where a stranger offers assistance at a machine and observes or manipulates the transaction.
Bag snatching and pickpocketing at crowded markets and transport terminals, and from jeepney passengers.
