Scams/Crime

Brazil: Police Drive Drug Gangs Out of Rio Favela, Restore Law and Order

Date: December 1st, 2010 |

Continuing a two-year effort to drive drug gangs out of the favelas overlooking Rio de Janeiro and establish police posts to restore the rule of law, police took control of a key neighborhood that sits near a highway that connects the city with the international airport. The assault had to happen because the drug gangs [read more]

St. Kitts: Suspects Arrested in Cruise Passenger Ambush

Date: November 17th, 2010 |

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St. Kitts has a relatively low crime rate, but in a recent incident a band of armed robbers used a fallen tree to block the road to the popular tourist site of Brimstone Hill Fortress, then ambushed a vanload of tourists from a cruise ship, robbing them of their cash and valuables before disappearing into [read more]

Italy: Drivers, Beware the Limited Traffic Zones in Rome, Elsewhere

Date: November 10th, 2010 |

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Tourists in Rome and other Italian cities need to know that the cities have restricted driving zones to reduce traffic congestion. If you drive there without a permit you will be fined as much as 99 euros ($136). If your hotel lies within such a zone and you need to drive there to park or [read more]

Ecuador: Emergency Decree Extended in Quito

Date: October 20th, 2010 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Quito reported that the Ecuadorian government’s “state of exception” imposed on Sept. 30 following police protests has been extended to 60 days in Quito but lifted throughout the rest of the country. The emergency decree gives the military law enforcement authority in Quito. The Embassy’s announcement noted that Quito is listed [read more]

Ukraine: Missing Manhole Covers a Pedestrian Hazard

Date: October 20th, 2010 |

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Watch your step when walking about the city of Kyiv. For much of this year the city has been experiencing a rash of missing manhole covers, with many accidents occurring when pedestrians fell in unaware. The covers are missing primarily because thieves pry them up and sell them as scrap metal. As the problem increased [read more]

China: Old Scam Still Works on Single Men

Date: December 1st, 2010 |

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It’s a scam neither unique to Shanghai nor particularly new, but it continues to work on men touring alone in the big city, as a writer for the Sydney Morning Herald recently discovered. A friendly young woman engages you in conversation, asks if you will take a photo of her and her friends, and once [read more]

Guatemala: Road Closure May Make Lake Atitlan Hard to Reach until January

Date: November 10th, 2010 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City strongly recommends deferring travel to Lake Atitlan until January because the road from the Department of Solola to Panajachel on the lake will be closed until the end of the year while a new road is being built. The Embassy reported that alternate routes to Panajachel by road or [read more]

Honduras: Crime at Tegucigalpa Basilica Prompts U.S. Embassy Restrictions

Date: November 3rd, 2010 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa now restricts access for U.S. diplomats and their families to Tegucigalpa’s Basilica of Suyapa, authorizing them to visit the popular tourist site only as part of an organized tour that provides armed security for the group. The church is in a high crime area and has been the site of [read more]

Philippines: Additional Tourist Police to Prevent Crime Around Country

Date: October 20th, 2010 |

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Authorities plan to increase the number of police officers in special tourist protection units across the country to address concerns raised by the August hostage debacle in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed in a rescue operation. The additional police will operate in major tourist destinations including Bacalzo, Baguio, Bohol, Boracay, Cebu, Davao, Palawan [read more]

Brazil: Drug Gangs Robbed Drivers En Masse in Rio

Date: October 13th, 2010 |

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Crime in Rio de Janeiro is not news, but recent attacks by armed drug gang members have been especially brazen. They set up roadblocks and robbed drivers stuck in the traffic jams, yanking some from their cars and in some cases making off with their vehicles. At least 10 of these robberies occurred in the [read more]

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