Destinations › Senegal › Dakar › Scams
Dakar, Senegal
13 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Dakar, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Men presenting as plain-clothes police asking to inspect documents and currency, and levying an immediate cash fine for an invented infraction.
Airport fares quoted in euros at several times the metered equivalent, and city taxis refusing to agree a price before departure.
Guides attaching themselves at the monuments and on Gorée without agreement, then demanding a substantial fee at the end of the visit.
Gorée ferry tickets sold by touts at the terminal at the resident price, which is refused at the boarding gate, with no refund.
Drivers steering passengers to carving, textile and jewellery outlets that pay them per head, presented as a recommendation on the way.
Bills in the nightlife districts carrying rounds that were not ordered, particularly where a visitor has been walked in by a new acquaintance.
Shortchanging on large CFA notes by street vendors and unlicensed changers.
Beach and Lac Rose 'parking attendants' and self-appointed minders charging for services nobody asked for.
Bag and phone theft on the Corniche and in crowded market streets, often with a staged collision.
Mass-produced imports sold as Senegalese woodcarving and hand-dyed textiles.
Aggressive market selling around Sandaga with physical obstruction of departure until a purchase is made.
Bracelets, carvings and small items pressed into a visitor's hand as a gift, with payment demanded once accepted.
Collectors with laminated documentation and a donation book working the Corniche and the restaurant terraces.
