Scams/Crime

Brazil: Crime a Problem ahead of World Cup and Olympics

Date: July 25th, 2011 |

Armed robbers invaded the Santa Teresa Hotel in Rio de Janeiro July 18, stealing money and phones from guests. The hotel is located in the Santa Teresa neighborhood in central Rio known for its narrow, winding streets popular with tourists. Last August a group of gunmen took several people hostage at the Hotel Intercontinental, in [read more]

Russia: Gunmen Attack Tourists En Route to North Caucasus Ski Resort

Date: February 23rd, 2011 |

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Gunmen in camouflage attacked a minivan of tourists en route to a popular ski resort near Mount Elbrus in the North Caucasus region Feb. 19, killing three and wounding two. Mount Elbrus is Europe’s highest mountain, and the resort where the incident took place, Baksan in the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, lies about 150 miles east [read more]

Mexico: Popular Chiapas Waterfall Is Center of Land Dispute

Date: February 9th, 2011 |

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The Agua Azul waterfall tourist area in the southern state of Chiapas has been the subject of a dispute spanning the last decade, and in early February leftist Zapatista sympathizers held 17 tourists hostage for a day after a clash with government-aligned farmers. The spot, popular among hikers, bird-watchers, painters and photographers, has been under [read more]

Senegal: Bank Card Skimming Increasing in Dakar

Date: January 26th, 2011 |

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Cases of credit cared fraud are increasing in Dakar, with the U.S. Embassy reporting that recently four separate incidents involved Embassy employees who used bank cards at Casino Supermarkets. Their cards were skimmed and fraudulent charges appeared from as far away as Canada and Oregon. There have also been suspected cases in major hotels in [read more]

France: Paris Thieves Want Smartphones

Date: January 12th, 2011 |

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Travelers in Paris may have a good reason to be discreet when using their smartphones: according to a New York Times report, aggravated robberies in the public transport system are up more than 40 percent, primarily because thieves are going after those phones. Almost half of all reported thefts in 2010 were of iPhones and [read more]

Thailand: Violence Escalating in the South

Date: March 9th, 2011 |

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Thailand’s deep south is experiencing a growing number of bomb and gun attacks amidst escalating violence in the Muslim-majority region that borders Malaysia. The violence has been ongoing since 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, but as of late the attacks have been getting increasingly violent and deadly. Travelers to the region are advised [read more]

India: Armed Bodo Tribesmen Abduct Wildlife Workers, Vow New Campaign for Separate State

Date: February 9th, 2011 |

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Bodo tribal groups in Assam in northeastern India vowed to renew their campaign for a separate state that they abandoned in 2003 when they settled for an autonomous region within Assam. A few hours after the announcement on Feb. 6, 20 of them abducted six World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) officials who were on [read more]

India: The Life of a Tout Just Gets Tougher

Date: February 2nd, 2011 |

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The life of a tout in India isn’t easy, and in Rajasthan’s Jaipur it’s about to get tougher. The Tourist Assistant Force, a special tourist police division, rounds up touts who harass tourists or lead them to showrooms where prices are inflated and the touts get kickbacks. Once in custody, the TAF hands them over [read more]

Colombia: Pilgrims Robbed on Road Up Monserrate

Date: January 12th, 2011 |

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The 17th-century Monserrate church is a pilgrimage site and popular tourist attraction atop Monserrate mountain overlooking Bogota. There are three ways to get there, by aerial tram, funicular railway or climbing an old road to the summit. One is not safe, a group of 30 tourists discovered recently when they were calmly and efficiently robbed [read more]

India: Fog Snarls Travel in Northern India; Road Rage Increases in Delhi

Date: December 29th, 2010 |

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Several days of heavy fog in northern India disrupted train and air schedules, delaying trains for hours and canceling many flights out of Delhi. Forecasts called for many more foggy days so travel could be disrupted indefinitely. Dense winter fog is common in Delhi and the surrounding area. In other news, road rage is rising [read more]

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