Brazil: High Risk — watch out for distraction theft & fake police extortion.
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High Risk: Distraction theft & fake police extortion. Rio de Janeiro sees frequent distraction theft in crowded tourist areas and on beaches, plus occasional reports of people posing as plainclothes police demanding to see (and keep) your wallet. Carry minimal valuables on the street, and ask any officer for ID and to accompany you to a station for anything official.
Brazil: High Risk — watch out for distraction theft & fake police extortion. Rio de Janeiro sees frequent distraction theft in crowded tourist areas and on beaches, plus occasional reports of people posing as plainclothes police demanding to see (and keep) your wallet. Carry minimal valuables on the street, and ask any officer for ID and to accompany you to a station for anything official.
A well-documented, actively-run scam catches tourists here regularly — read the note above carefully so you know exactly what to watch for.
Agree on prices before getting into a taxi, be skeptical of unusually friendly strangers steering you somewhere specific, and never sign anything or accept food/drinks from someone you just met. The single biggest risk for this destination is noted above — general street-smarts cover the rest.
Not at all — millions of tourists visit safely every year. Knowing the one scam pattern that catches people most often is simply the best, cheapest defense there is, since it's designed specifically to look harmless until it's too late.
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