Avoiding Scammers

Posted On September 10, 2022

The bigger the city, the more scammers you will come across, and since Istanbul being largest city in Europe, I’ll share with you some tips I learned to avoid getting hustled and having
your day ruined.

● Taxis: Before getting used to public transportation or if you’re somewhere far from a bus or metro station, you’ll need to use a taxi, and doing that in Istanbul is a pain.
First tip is using an app like BiTaxi or Uber, as Uber in Turkey also simply uses taxis, this way you can see the best route, the amount you’ll need to prepare, and avoid being taken the long way or being asked for a lot of money. If you have a bad Uber rating, you won’t get picked up in Turkey. If you have a good rating and tip in cash, you will always get picked up, even in the middle of the most crowded places where everyone is fighting for Taxis. It may take a while, but if you always tip (even just a little bit) in cash, they will come pick you up.
Secondly, make sure the taxi has the meter on, and watch the total increase as you go. If they don’t turn it on, get out. Also, specifically ask if you can pay by card before you get in the taxi, if that is how you plan to play.
Third, you should know Taxis will not want to take you across continents. If you ask to go from the European side to the Asian side or vice-versa, they may simply tell you NO. The traffic and tolls are not worth their time. They will probably direct you to the ferry station. I know its intimidating the first time, but take their advice and figure it out. The ferry ride is faster, cheaper, and much more pleasant than sitting in bridge traffic in a Taxi. If you insist on going by Taxi, they may drive you to a “transfer” spot where Taxis wait specifically to take people over the bridges. They will suddenly pull over and tell you to pay them and switch to a different Taxi. This is also not a scam; the other Taxi will take you over the bridge and charge you to sit in traffic and pay the bridge tolls (probably in both directions).

If you are leaving a tourist destination, you will probably be approached by people speaking great English offering you a Taxi home for a flat fee. This is definitely going to cost a lot more than finding a regular Taxi, and once you’re in the car they will try to increase the fee or drop you off somewhere early. It can be worth it depending on how tired your kids are, but be prepared to be very assertive if you want to stick to the deal you agreed upon before getting into the car. They will try to intimidate you into giving more money.
Fourth tip: Look at the bills you’re paying with. After you give a driver a 100 note, he might swap it and pretend you gave him a 20, hoping you’re not familiar enough with the Turkish money yet and they can confuse you. They can even try to give you old Turkish currency which is not used here anymore. You should also be on the lookout for counterfeit money. It is easily available at toy stores, looks very realistic, and the only obvious difference is that it says “Geçersizdir” (it’s not valid) in Turkish.

Finally: Don’t put your items into the trunk of a Taxi, and if you do, make sure one passenger stays in the car until all the bags are out. This will prevent the driver from driving away with your belongings in the car.
If you have to hail a random taxi, just keep an eye on the meter, and don’t try to have a conversation in a different language, as this might end up badly for you, being it having to pay a much bigger amount, or having an argument you can’t win.
● Public transportation: If you want to use the best way to navigate the city, you’ll need
to buy an Istanbul card and put some money onto it. Buy your card from a machine, they support English, they’re easy to use, you buy it, and fill it as you wish. Avoid buying it from people standing around with a bunch of cards cause they’ll ask for a lot more money.
If you need help using the machine, just ask someone in line to use it, and not someone
standing nearby or approaching you randomly, because odds are the latter will ask for money or try to sell you something.
Another big scam I’ve seen is a guy standing by the entrance, and telling tourists he’ll use his card to get them in, asking for a certain amount of money, and them accepting thinking they’re saving money doing that. Including days with free transportation. Just get your own card, it’s cheap, you can use it for all public transportation including buses, trains, ferries, it works at public toilets, Beltur shops (snacks and drinks available in public spaces), and you can even use it in Starbucks or chain grocery stores.

Side note, if you download the IstanbulKart app you can see your balance and top it up, however the balance may not appear ON the card in the app right away. Sometimes it will show as “pending”. Don’t worry, the balance will be “officially” added to your card once you use the card. Finally, at some ferry stations, you may be directed to a newsstand/vendor type booth to top-up your Istanbul card instead of using the machine. In that case you can just hand them your card and a bit of cash (usually but not always a credit card will be accepted) and they will top it up for you.

● Wallet snatching: This mostly happens on the metro, bus, or in crowded streets. Just pay attention to your wallet when you’re around strangers. This is very basic yet a lot of people fall for it and get snatched. They usually take all the cash and dump the wallet.
If you’re in a crowd, don’t keep your phone or other valuables in your back pocket.
● Inviting strangers: If you’re walking around istiklal street or Kadıköy or Sultanahmet, you’ll most likely be approached by people trying to sell you things or getting you into their businesses, and that’s okay, until it isn’t.
Some of those businesses are big scams. If you’re invited to a random bar, a club, or a restaurant by some guy, trying to speak to you in English or Arabic, telling you something is free, simply don’t react and keep going. Don’t talk to them. Don’t look at them. And most definitely don’t go with them. That’s a very known scam, they’ll get you to a bar, some girls will show up, they’ll order something, and you’ll end up with a huge bill. If you don’t have the cash to pay they’ll bring muscle to take you to the ATM to get the cash. Or they’ll rough you up. So many people fell for this, don’t be one of them.
If a random person approaches you being friendly and suggesting he knows a bar where you two can go, again, this guy works for the scamming bar and you’ll end up paying so much money for so little.
Restaurants or bars with a pretty girl out front smiling at you and trying to get you inside are always a scam. Best thing to do is avoid all approaching strangers, unless you’re clearly lost and someone is just trying to give you directions.
● Carpet stores: Speaking of people approaching you, especially in Sultanahmet, a lot of those will be carpet salespeople. They’ll sweettalk you, take you to their store, show you incredibly overpriced carpets, and try their best to get you to buy one. They’ll treat you to a free tea, and they’ll be very friendly and nice. That’s a huge red flag. It means their prices are probably ten times the normal prices. My advice is never go with someone approaching you for anything. You’ll always lose in that situation.

● The Shoe Brush: If you’re walking and you see a shoe shining person drop something, most likely their brush while they’re walking in front of you, do not touch that brush, do not tell them they dropped it, do not do anything. Just keep walking. Because if you interact with them, they’ll thank you and start shining your shoes, and ask for a lot of money.
● Airbnb: Be careful of paying those in cash. Some home owners will ask for a payment in person, in cash, for any extended stay. Always pay through the app because some will simply tell you to leave after getting your money. It’s rare but it happens.
● Online shopping: Make sure to buy things online from known websites or apps. Some non-Turkish websites can pretend to sell you something like concert tickets, they’ll get more money than the actual prices and they’ll never deliver your ticket. This happened to a friend of mine, so always ask about the website you’re using to make sure it’s legit.
● Foreigners with wallets: I witnessed this scam when I visited Istanbul for the first time, a couple approached me and my family, they’re not Turkish, and speaking bad English to us, pretending they’re looking for friends to hangout with, and they bring up money and pull out a wallet with foreign currency. Once you see that, leave. They usually ask to see your currency and try to hustle you out of some cash. They usually target fresh arrivals with baggage.
● Trips and tours: There are a lot of options when it comes to half-day or full-day trips, inside or around the city. If you just pick a random website and book a tour through it, you most likely will be paying more money than you should, and often not get what you’re buying.
Some websites will take your money, tell you to be in a spot at a certain time, show up late and just drop you to the actual tour company that charges then much less, then keep the extra to themselves. Some of the tour companies they drop you at will not have people speaking your language and will have a whole different tour plan than what you booked. And the website you used will simply not answer you after that.
Using your hotel’s brochures is always the worst idea. They’re so incredibly overpriced and will never deliver what they promise.
Walking into a random tourism company you see in touristic areas will also have you pay more than you should.
● Tour Guides: These are actually not a scam as often as you might expect. A tour guide in Turkey is considered a good profession and the guides take it seriously. I have visited Efes (Efesus) with and without a guide, and for a modest fee, the experience with a guide was much more informative and enjoyable.
● Photographers: At some tourist locations a photographer might offer to follow you around and take your photo at interesting locations. If you can agree on a price that works for you, this one is also probably not a scam. You don’t give them money until the end, so if they follow you around taking photos, you’ll end up with nice and affordable pictures.
● Beggars: Since the Syrian war started a lot of Syrian refugees ended up in Türkiye, and some people pretend to be Syrian to get tourists to give them money out of pity, but chances are they’re most likely not Syrian at all. Don’t fall for it.
● Anyone handing you anything: If someone tries to hand you a flower or candy and says its free, don’t take it. Once you’re holding it, you pretty much bought it, and nothing is free.

● “This is the police”: The last scam I’m going to talk about is one that isn’t really a big issue because it almost never happens, but I have to mention it just in case.
You might receive a phone call or a text from someone pretending to be the police, asking you to go somewhere. Disregard that immediately. And in very rare occasions in areas that has no tourist attractions someone might dress up as a police officer and try to scam people but that’s almost impossible for anyone to witness.

In conclusion, follow common sense, avoid sketchy people and neighborhoods, keep an eye on your valuables and you’ll be just fine. Enjoy the city!