Scams/Crime

Thailand: Security To Be Tightened for ASEAN Meeting; Scams at Bangkok Airport

Date: July 1st, 2009 |

Authorities plan to invoke an internal security act to prevent disruption of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum to be held in Phuket July 10-24. The declaration will permit the military to help police keep order on the island of Phuket and within three miles around it. The move comes on the [read more]

Nicaragua: Crime Up in Managua and Other Cities

Date: June 24th, 2009 |

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Express kidnappings have increased in the past year, with incidents involving Americans in several cities. In many cases the victims accepted assistance to find or share a taxi and then were held at knife point until they surrendered their cash and valuables. Some victims were assaulted this way, then driven to ATMs to withdraw cash. [read more]

Greece: Binge-Drinking by British Tourists Still Plagues Islands

Date: June 17th, 2009 |

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Unruly behavior by British tourists and others in island beach resorts has started off the summer season in just the way local authorities and residents had hoped to avoid. Binge drinking led to the rape of a British woman by fellow Britons in Mallia on Crete, and a Dutch woman was attacked by two Greeks [read more]

Yemen: 7 of 9 Abducted Foreigners Killed in North

Date: June 17th, 2009 |

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Nine foreigners, including three children, were abducted June 11 in northern Yemen near the city of Sa’ada, and seven of them were found murdered on June 15. Two of the children were found alive. Authorities suspected Shiite Zaidi rebels but they denied the charge. Other analysts feared the execution of foreigners signaled a new turn [read more]

Hong Kong: Assailant Throws Acid on Shoppers

Date: June 10th, 2009 |

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For the third time in six months, an unidentified assailant threw acid into a crowd of shoppers in Mong Kok district in Kowloon, injuring 24 pedestrians, none seriously. The attack occurred on the same street as a similar attack in May. Mong Kok is the smallest district in Hong Kong and reputed to be the [read more]

Latvia: Crimes Against Tourists Increasing in Riga

Date: June 24th, 2009 |

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The crime rate in Latvian cities is moderate compared to U.S. cities of similar size, but crime still exists, especially in Riga, Latvia’s main draw for foreign tourists. Since 2008 Riga has seen a trend of extortion and intimidation in bars, clubs and lounges where foreigners are presented with a bill from a separate menu [read more]

Northern Ireland: Tour Bus Attacked in Belfast, Romanian Immigrants Leave

Date: June 24th, 2009 |

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A gang of five teenage boys hurled stones at an open-top tourist bus in west Belfast, breaking a window but injuring no one. The incident was the first of its kind for the tour company, but not so long ago during the troubles such attacks were a daily occurrence. Open-top bus tours of both east [read more]

Portugal: Crime Rate Is Low, but Petty Crime Still Occurs

Date: June 17th, 2009 |

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The crime rate is low in Lisbon and around the country, but petty crime occurs as it does in most major cities. Pickpockets work Lisbon’s tourist areas and small-time drug dealers and con men commonly approach tourists. Police statistics show that overall crime is down but violent crime has increased slightly, led by a 10 [read more]

Colombia: Foreigners Being Drugged and Robbed in Bogota

Date: June 10th, 2009 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Bogota continues to receive reports of drugging and robbing of foreigners in bars and other public places. Criminals offer drinks, cigarettes or gum tainted with Scopolamine or other incapacitating drugs, and rob their victims when the drug takes effect. A dramatic increase in such attacks has occurred in the Galerias district [read more]

Thailand: Police Stop Gang of “Leg-Shakers”

Date: June 10th, 2009 |

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Bangkok police said they broke up a gang of thieves whose modus operandi was to pretend to drop papers near a tourist, then grab the victim by the leg and shake while others swarmed and stole the victim’s valuables in the chaos, then flee in taxis. The gang was especially active in the Silom and [read more]