Common “Scams” You Might Encounter at Cruise Ports

Unfortunately it’s a fact of life, there are scammers out there. It doesn’t matter where you travel in the world, you might encounter someone looking to make a quick buck through shady means.

While cruising, I have come across three main “Scams” in port cities. They range from small time to not so small time. But don’t fret, they are avoidable with a few common sense precautions.

The “Free” Flower/Jewelry

This scam is super common all over the world. How it works is someone offers you a flower, or a small piece of handmade jewelry, usually a bracelet, for “free” but then they demand you give them a few dollars for the item.

Luckily this scam is super easy to avoid. Just give a firm “No Thanks” to anyone that offers you anything for “free” on the street and keep walking!

Fake Jewelry

This isn’t a common occurrence but it’s not unheard of for someone to realize later that the jewelry they purchased isn’t real, either the stone is fake, or it’s not real gold are the ones I hear about the most.

Your cruise line probably has a list of the stores they recommend in each port, I highly recommend picking up a list at the port shopping desk. I also recommend using your credit card, not your debit card, so you have more purchase protection. Just make sure you use one that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.

Currency Swapping

You might encounter an unscrupulous shop that tries to take advantage of your lack of currency exchange rate knowledge. They might offer you significantly less change, or charge you more than they should.

I know someone who bought an item of jewelry, they told her her credit card was being charged in Pesos when actually she was being charged in US Dollars. An expensive mistake!

If you know you will be doing a lot of shopping, it makes sense to get some local currency. Make sure you have a general idea of what the current exchange rate is, and double check before you pay, bust out a calculator if you have to. And make sure you confirm the currency you’re being charged in for any credit card transactions.

Don’t be afraid! Just be aware of your surroundings, use caution, and remember: If something seems to good to be true, it probably is!