Destinations › India › Goa › Scams
Goa, India
15 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Goa, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Bills at the beach clubs and night markets carrying rounds and covers that were not ordered, with the total defended by staff presence rather than an itemised recount.
Reader overlays on standalone cash machines along the beach strips, and cards taken away from the table to be processed out of sight in beach shacks and bars.
Local taxi unions restrict ride-hailing pickups at the airports and some beaches, and union taxis are unmetered with fares set well above the app equivalent.
Drugs offered on the northern beaches followed by a police approach and a demand for payment to avoid arrest.
Police stops of foreign riders for licence and helmet infractions resolved by an on-the-spot cash payment, some of which involve genuine officers and some of which do not.
Scooter and motorcycle hire with damage claimed on return for pre-existing marks, and passports retained as deposit until payment is made.
Drivers steering passengers to spice, cashew and jewellery outlets that pay them per head, offered as a stop on the way rather than a paid referral.
Dolphin, waterfall and spice-plantation trips sold from beach pitches that run with a larger group, a longer road leg, and shopping stops that were not part of the sale.
Airport confusion exploited — transfers booked for Dabolim when the flight arrives at Mopa, some 60km apart.
Theft from beach belongings and from rooms in budget properties.
Imitation branded goods and 'antique' items sold at the flea markets as genuine.
Beach-hut and short-let bookings relocated on arrival in peak season with the original rate retained.
Beach shacks charging for sunbeds advertised as free with a drink, and adding items not ordered.
Collectors with laminated documentation and a donation book working the beach shacks and the night markets.
Men attaching themselves to visitors at the old churches and forts, narrating unasked, then presenting a fee once the walk is over.
