Destinations › India › Varanasi › Scams
Varanasi, India
13 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Varanasi, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Drivers soliciting arriving passengers inside the station and airport concourse rather than at the prepaid stand, quoting several times the posted fare.
Men presenting as police or tourist police near the ghats and the station asking to inspect currency for counterfeit notes, and removing cash during the count.
Reader overlays on standalone cash machines near the ghats and the station, and cards taken out of sight to be processed in tourist-area guesthouses and shops.
Rickshaw and taxi drivers routing visitors through silk and craft shops that pay commission, with the ride extended until a purchase is made.
Power-loom polyester sold as hand-woven Banarasi silk at silk prices, with shipping arranged and not fulfilled.
Boat rides where a per-boat price agreed at the bank becomes a per-person price in the middle of the river, where refusing is not practical.
'Wood donation' solicitations at the cremation ghats by men presenting as hospice workers; no such collection exists.
Men presenting as priests at the ghats who tie a thread or begin a ritual and then demand a large donation, with pressure applied publicly.
Multi-day pilgrimage and excursion packages sold by agencies presenting as official, taking payment in advance and delivering a downgraded vehicle and itinerary.
Guesthouse touts at the station and airport claiming a booked property is full or closed, diverting to a commission-paying alternative.
Pickpocketing in the ghat crowds during the evening aarti and at the railway station.
Shortchanging on large notes and refusal to provide change to force a rounded-up fare.
Unofficial guides attaching themselves at the ghats and temples and demanding payment on completion.
