While doing some research regarding Istanbul, I’ve read about numerous scams targeting tourists in the area. While scams are common in other countries as well, the number of stories I’ve read is a cause for concern. All throughout my stay in Istanbul I was vigilant. Other travelers should always be on guard as well, especially those who are traveling alone.

Based on the stuff I’ve read on several online forums and travel blogs, there are three common scams in Istanbul: The taxi scam, the shoeshine scam, and the bar scam. Thankfully, I never experienced the taxi scam when I took cabs in the city (a total of 6 times). It’s when taxi drivers try to get more money from tourists by doubling the fare (they figure tourists don’t know the usual fares), or by not giving the right amount of change. They could also choose longer routes or pretend to be lost to jack up the fare. i was very suspicious with the first cab i took, the one I hailed at the airport. I wasn’t sure if he really couldn’t find the hotel or if he was just pretending to be lost. We kept going around in circles. It’s also hard to talk to him because he spoke very limited English, and i did not bother to learn a few basic Turkish words (another rookie mistake d’oh!) He stopped the meter though, and he deducted some Liras from the total fare on his meter, so i figured he wasn’t trying to scam me after all. I know taxi scams happen in a lot of countries, but with the way some travelers are posting about em you’d think it was a common occurrence in Istanbul. Just because it didn’t happen to me doesn’t mean it’s not prevalent. It would be best to stay vigilant at all times.

I didn’t encounter the shoe shine scam as well. They say it happens in the old part of town. While walking around, some guy shining shoes would drop a brush, and when you pick it up he’ll offer to shine your shoes for free as a sign of thanks. Then afterward, he would demand money. If you refuse he’s gonna make a huge fuss. most tourists would rather pay up rather than cause any commotion. If someone drops a brush near you, it would be best to just ignore.

The bar scam is the most troubling. This one usually targets solo male travelers, which is exactly what I was!  A stranger would approach you in a bar, try to make friends, and then once you are comfortable with each other he would invite you to another bar that is supposed to be better. Once there, more people would join your group and when the bill arrives, you’d be surprised that all the stuff they ordered were charged to you. obviously, whoever owns the bar is part of the scam together with your new “friends”. If you refuse to pay up, you might be threatened with violence. If you have no money, they will escort you to the nearest ATM. This is particularly scary because I’ve heard reports of tourists who were beaten up real bad because they wouldn’t or couldn’t pay up. The police couldn’t give much help. I did encounter two strangers in a bar on two separate nights. This happened while i was bar hopping in the Taksim area. Both of them tried to invite me to another place. But since I was aware of this scam, i politely said no. I even said I had friends who were coming to shake off the notion that i was alone. Well yeah, maybe I was being overly paranoid, maybe they just wanted to be friends with me… but when faced with uncertain situations in an unfamiliar place, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Istanbul is such an amazing city, I’m not discouraging anyone to visit the place. It’s just best to be aware that these scams are happening so we can avoid being in such situations.