Sri Lanka: Moderate Risk — watch out for gem scams & tuk-tuk commission detours.
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Moderate Risk: Gem scams & tuk-tuk commission detours. Gem "deals" from street touts are almost always worthless stones sold as valuable; tuk-tuk drivers sometimes insist your hotel is "closed" or "full" to redirect you to a commission-paying alternative. Book accommodation directly and buy gems only from licensed dealers.
Sri Lanka: Moderate Risk — watch out for gem scams & tuk-tuk commission detours. Gem "deals" from street touts are almost always worthless stones sold as valuable; tuk-tuk drivers sometimes insist your hotel is "closed" or "full" to redirect you to a commission-paying alternative. Book accommodation directly and buy gems only from licensed dealers.
A real, somewhat common scam pattern exists here — check the note above so you can recognize it before it happens to you.
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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