Destinations › Fiji › Nadi › Scams
Nadi, Fiji
12 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Nadi, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Reader overlays on standalone cash machines in the town centre, and cards taken out of sight to be processed at shop and restaurant counters.
Metering is compulsory within town limits and routinely declared broken, with fixed fares quoted on the airport and Denarau runs.
The sword sellers of Nadi town: a friendly approach, your name carved into a wooden sword or mask without agreement, and then an aggressive demand for payment for a personalised item that cannot be resold.
Drivers steering passengers to handicraft and duty-free outlets that pay them per head, presented as a recommendation on the way to the resorts.
Bills in the town and resort-strip bars carrying rounds that were not ordered, with the total defended rather than itemised.
Undisclosed service charges and per-person minimums added to bills in the resort strip.
Imported carvings and shell jewellery sold as Fijian handmade work at handmade prices.
Village visits arranged by unofficial intermediaries who collect a 'sevusevu' payment that never reaches the village.
Island-hopping and activity trips sold on the street or at the market rather than through accredited desks, with deposits taken for trips that do not run.
Collectors with laminated documentation and a donation book working the town centre and the market approaches.
Theft from beach belongings and from rooms in budget properties.
Shortchanging on large Fijian dollar notes and change given at poor rates against foreign currency.
