Safety and Security information when you travel in India
India is not an especially dangerous country, but as with
most places in the world today, you have to exercise a certain amount of care
and vigilance. Fortunately, violent crime against foreigners is unusual, though
it does happen occasionally. On the other hand, petty theft, including bag
snatching and pick pocketing, is common. There have also been cases of
unsuspecting tourists being given drugged food or drink and then robbed.
Although terrorist attacks have become more common in India, most of them haven't
been directed at non-Indians, and the likelihood of being a casualty of such an
attack is so much less than the risk of getting hit by a car when you are
walking down the road that it is practically negligible as long as you stay
away from the trouble spots.
You aren't likely to run into most of these problems (aside
from unscrupulous taxi and/or auto-rickshaw drivers, which is practically
inevitable), but being aware will help you avoid them. And it's also good to
know what to do if something unfortunate does happen.
During your India holidays
it is recommended that following things are taken care of to avoid any inconveniences.
Avoiding Scams
At major airports, railway stations, and tourist sites, many
taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers, touts, and porters solicit travelers with
offers of cheap transportation, tours, and hotels. Avoid these offers. You will
almost always end up with a bad deal at a much higher price than you would have
paid on your own.
At railway stations, many taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers
come onto the platform to solicit customers. They often operate illegally,
having bribed the local police. They are invariably persistent, and even if
there is a booth for prepaid rides, they may tell you there isn't or that it is
closed. They may offer low rates and then demand much more once you are in the
car. They look for foreigners because they know they can often get away with
charging far more than they charge the locals.
If a driver offers you a suspiciously low price to take you
somewhere, you can be sure that he has a hidden agenda—often in the form of
expected commissions from hotels or shops—and that he will do everything he can
to get you to those places rather than to where you want to go. Don't ever let
a driver take you somewhere you don't want to go. If you get a taxi at the
airport and ask for a specific hotel, the driver may tell you it is full or
closed for repairs. This line is virtually always a lie. He just wants to take
you to a hotel where he will get a fat commission. In such a case, tell him
that you know he is mistaken because you have a reservation (even if you
don't). Insist on going where you want to go, and if he won't take you, get out
and get another taxi, but don't pay the first driver. This will result in a
dispute, but you can usually shut him up by writing down the car number and the
driver's name and threatening to report him to the Traffic Police or Tourist
Police.
Taxis and auto-rickshaws usually have a fare chart (either
from the government or the local union), but if the rates seem too high or it
looks homemade, it may be a fake. Check with someone in the know if you suspect
that there is a problem.
Touts and taxi or auto-rickshaw drivers will often use
aggressive and shady tactics to try to manipulate you into taking tours you
don't want, etc. A recent scam reported in Delhi is where the driver claims
that every Delhi hotel is full and your only option is to stay on a houseboat
in Srinagar—which is in Kashmir, many hour’s drive from Delhi. This results in
an extremely expensive trip for the victims. Despite initial claims to the
contrary, these drivers invariably charge a ridiculous amount for both the car
trip and the houseboat, and there are inevitably many undisclosed extra fees.
There are many variations of this scam where the drivers
want to take you to Jaipur, Agra, or other holidays in India.
Another ploy driver’s use is to try to get you to stop and
check out their "uncle's" or "brother's" shop. The usual
refrain is, "just looking, only looking." The promised
"bargain" prices are virtually always higher than you would normally
pay, since the shopkeepers always pay a commission to the drivers and pass the
extra expense right along to the customers.
Any time you ask a driver to take you sho
pping and leave it
up to him where to go, you can assume that a commission will be involved and
that the prices will be high. If it's worth it to you because you have no idea
where to go, be sure to use your best bargaining skills. Whenever a driver
follows you into a hotel or shop, he does so for the purpose of getting a
commission. On the other hand, although the commission business can certainly
be an out-and-out scam—when prices are much higher than normal—it isn't always.
Drivers typically receive pitifully low salaries so they depend on getting a
substantial portion of their income from commissions, which means that to them
it's just business as usual.
Ask the locals and other travelers what the latest scams
are, so you can protect yourself from them. Thieves often work in teams, with
one person creating a distraction while the other snatches your bag. If someone
squirts something on you, or suddenly points out a mess on your shoes (which he
put there just a moment earlier), hold onto your bags and valuables and get
away. Get someone to clean up the mess who is not standing conveniently nearby.
Scam artists often operate by befriending unsuspecting
travelers, often over the course of a few days or even weeks. They may start
out by saying they just want to practice their English, but at some point,
"because you are such a good friend," they will offer you an
opportunity to make some money. The offer always sounds like a really easy way
to make money, and no doubt it is—for the scam artist, not you. If the offer
sounds too good to be true, assume that it is. Often it involves transporting
gems or gold (which means smuggling, a serious offense if the goods are real,
which they never are), or transporting drugs (even riskier), or taking delivery
of expensive goods once you get back home (with some scheme to avoid customs
duties, but of course the goods never arrive); or selling these items to you at
"wholesale" so you can supposedly make money selling them back home
(which you can't because you have paid way too much). A deposit is always
required, and the goods are usually fake or inferior, or else they don't get
sent. Phony customs agents may call demanding bribes. Young travelers in Goa,
Jaipur, Varanasi, and Agra are the most common targets for this sort of scam,
and those who fall for such schemes end up losing a lot of money.
Be alert for credit card fraud. Don't let merchants take your
card out of your sight to process a transaction. They may run off duplicate
forms in order to bill your account for phony trans-actions. If the machine is
in another room or another location, go along with them. This is most common in
tourist areas.
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