How to avoid common travel scams in Maldives

Travelling to the Maldives is indeed going to be a pleasing experience, but make sure you don’t get caught up in any travel scams! Travel scams are common to every country in the world, even the Maldives. So, as travellers, you should be knowing what these scams are and the ways and means to avoid them when you go to a new destination. This article will be a perfect guide for you to do that.

Hotel scams

Don’t wait till you get to the destination to decide on where you are going to stay during your Maldivian vacation. Get recommendations from those who have visited the country before you so have an initial idea about the 5-star hotels in Maldives that you can opt for. There are many of them such as Adaaran Prestige Water Villas so make sure you book your hotel suite online much in advance. Find out about its location, and how it looks like too. If your hotel is providing airport pick up services, take that service from them because that’s safer and more reliable. You can be then sure you’ll be taken to the chosen hotel, and not somewhere else.

Fake police scam

Well, in a new destination about which you know nothing about, you may find it hard to distinguish between fake and real police officers. Sometimes, when you take a walk, you can be asked to show your passport and then will be pointed out some unknown error with your visa. It’s normal to panic at such a situation, but there is a way to avoid it (if it’s a scam). Most of the time, these fake police officers ask you to pay a fine in cash at that moment itself. When this happens, kindly tell them that you’ll come with them to their police station and pay the fine. If it’s a scam that they tried to play you, they’ll surely say something and excuse you for whatever the fault they accused you of.

‘Replacement’ scam

In cities the likes of Male, there are many attractions that you can visit and there are also markets and shops from which you can get souvenirs and other trinkets. Once you get a taxi to go to a particular shop or a restaurant, sometimes you’ll hear your taxi driver saying ‘that shop is closed today!’ and, they will often come up with a suggestion of a replacement too. Do not get fooled by this scam, because they (most of the time) do this intentionally so that they can get a commission from the shops they recommend to you. Be brave enough to say politely ‘it’s okay, we’ll just go and have a look’ and then they’ll know that you are not easy to play games with!

Motorbike scam

It’s a common thing to do in the Maldives to rent a scooter for a day (or even for an agreed-upon amount of hours) to explore the countryside. But, sometimes the most unexpected can happen which will put you into hot water. Your bike can suddenly (out of nowhere) meet with an accident and then the owner will appear and offer you help. He will take you to a garage and tell you an unbelievably huge amount as the expense that he will have to bear to repair the bike. Make sure you, before starting your scooter ride, take some pictures of it (with the owner) so that they can’t charge you for the damages that were already there even before you took it.