If you’re going to embrace the life of a digital nomad, well, that’s fantastic. It’s absolutely wonderful to be able to work remotely and independent of any specific location, but it’s important to remember that wherever your wanderlust takes you in the world, you will always be a tourist there.
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And being a tourist means being a target.
It might seem as if tourist scams are usually reported in Asia, but that’s only because Westerners find it hard to blend in with the locals and in fact, scams happen everywhere.
Whether you’re a designer, developer, marketer or entrepreneur, being a digital nomad means that your entire life exists in your backpack. Not just your beach towel and bikini, but your computer, your money and your identification. Safety becomes a bigger deal because of this and scammers have no trouble figuring out what you own, and what they can exploit from you.
Let's take a look at a few scams.
Sorry, Thailand is Closed Today
Since I mentioned Asia, I’ll start with a scam thats especially well-known in Bangkok, Thailand. Basically, someone will tell you that the Grand Palace is closed for some insane reason (like a religious holiday), knowing that you’re none the wiser.
He or she will then (conveniently) offer something even better to do, and before you know it you’re in a tailor shop or a gem store. I suppose the scam isn’t actually that bad if you’re in the market for an overpriced suit or a fake gem, which they’ll claim is worth a fortune in the country that you’re from.
Don’t fall for it!
Wrong Change Scams
Cultural holidays are not the only thing scammers will test you on, there’s currency too. Currency is something I’ve never been able to wrap my head around because I’ve never been amazing at math, but luckily this conversion app has always helped me out.
Always check your change, even in large shops. Foreigners tend to be swindled because they don’t understand the currency and they’ll end up receiving the incorrect change without knowing.
Rental Scams
Here’s another one that's spotted frequently in Thailand. When renting a vehicle the owner will claim that you dented or scratched it and demand money for the damages. In reality, the owners most likely scratched it themselves and countless tourists before you have already been fooled into covering the damages.
It’s a common scam in Pattaya and Phuket - with jet skis.
Continue reading %8 Scams to Avoid on Your Digital Nomad Adventure%
by Daniel Schwarz via SitePoint
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