Bali Tourists Must Be Aware Of Islands Most Common Scams

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Bali is one of the safest and most welcoming travel destinations in the world, but that doesn’t mean that tourists completely switch off.

Here at The Bali Sun, we keep a pulse on what is happening on the ground in terms of tourist safety 24/7. While violent crime and harassment are not too much of a concern, scams are being reported regularly. 

As part of our commitment to keeping our readers up to speed with everything that is happening in Bali in real time, we have worked with our team over at Travel Off Path to create the Traveler Safety Index.

This is a tool that can help us collate travelers’ safety experiences in real time. This, coupled with our in-depth research and around-the-clock reporting, as well as consultations with official agencies, helps us to create a comprehensive and reliable view of the safety situation in Bali for tourists, travellers, and foreigners living on the island, at all times. 

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The Traveler Safety Index for Bali currently reads at 82, out of a possible 100. This is high, steady, safe reading. This is a reading that essentially says, ‘enjoy your vacation as normal, but just keep your eyes open. Keep your eyes open to what you ask? Scams.

Scams have long been a concern for tourists in Bali, and while things have certainly improved over the years, crafty criminals are always coming up with new ways to get cash out of foreigners on the island. There is a series of what we would call ‘classic scams’ that tourists need to be aware of.

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These classic scams are tried and tested by both real criminals and cheeky chancers, and are easy to avoid if you know about them. There are the bigger scams that are seriously criminal, and while they affect fewer tourists, they can be devastating for those who get caught out. 

The first classic scam tourists should be aware of is the money exchange scam. While this scam has been recorded hundreds of times over the years in Bali, it is also a scam that is carried out all around the world.

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The mechanism is simple and plays on a tourist’s unfamiliarity with a new currency. In Indonesia, the inflated rupiah means that suddenly tourists are dealing with tens and hundreds of thousands, often into the millions, and this number of zeros can feel disorientating.

For the money exchange scam, the process is simple. The teller offers the exchange rate, then counts out the correct amount of cash. As they then bring all the cash back together to hand over to the tourist, the teller swipes as many notes as possible off the counter onto the desk below, out of sight of the tourist. The tourist, who has just watched the teller count out the correct amount of cash, then walks away, only to realise much later that they have been dramatically shorted. 

Tourists are advised to exchange cash at their hotel or at the bank. If they opt to exchange cash at a tourist money exchange counter, it is essential to double-check the exchange rate and the amount of cash before leaving the store.

A legitimate teller will not be offended by their customer double-checking the amount and should, in fact, encourage it. 

Other scams to be aware of are with taxi drivers. Many tourists report taxi drivers offering one rate for a journey, only to demand extra at the end.

Here at The Bali Sun, we are hearing anecdotal reports of Grab or GoJek drivers asking for more money than the app stipulates for the ride, or refusing the pick up and demanding to take the ride off-app.

Tourists should always have all available safety features activated and report any drivers who violate the rules of the service, and report any kind of bullying, harassment, or extortion to the police. 

Tourists in Bali will continue to see more police officers out on patrol in top tourism resort areas such as Canggu, Uluwatu, and Seminyak, especially over the weekends and during extra busy periods for travel. 

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