Mexico: High Risk — watch out for taxi overcharging & fake police extortion.
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High Risk: Taxi overcharging & fake police extortion. Unmarked taxis frequently overcharge tourists or take deliberately long routes, and there are periodic reports of people posing as police demanding on-the-spot cash "fines." Use hotel-called taxis or a rideshare app, and ask to see ID and go to a police station for any real fine.
Mexico: High Risk — watch out for taxi overcharging & fake police extortion. Unmarked taxis frequently overcharge tourists or take deliberately long routes, and there are periodic reports of people posing as police demanding on-the-spot cash "fines." Use hotel-called taxis or a rideshare app, and ask to see ID and go to a police station for any real fine.
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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