Scammed in Delhi, India

My friend Heather and I traveled to India to visit some friends we made on a previous trip. Though we were both experienced travelers, we fell for one of the common India scams '" being taken to a rip-off hotel, by an unscrupulous taxi driver.


We were exhausted, after more than 30 hours of travel and it was late at night. Our taxi driver took us to a supposed "government tourist office," where they proceeded to call our hotel. Or at least that is what they said they were doing. The elaborate scheme included a third party, probably someone located in the next room, we spoke with over the phone. He was supposedly from the hotel where we planned to stay. This man informed us that they had given away our room because we were so late getting there.


The people at the so-called tourist office tried to comfort us by telling us not to worry, they had a good place to stay they could take us. They took us to a real dive and charged us three times the price of the hotel we had booked.


The next day we got to the proper hotel, where the owner confirmed that we had fallen for a common India scam. We later learned that there are only two legitimate taxi booths at the Delhi airport, both of which are operated by the Delhi police.


If you enjoyed this article by Rebecca Livermore, you may want to read about more of her adventures in India here:

Getting Around Delhi, India
How to Cross the Street in India and Live to Tell About It
I Fell in Love With Cooking in a Kitchen in India
An Indian Manners Guide for Foreign Travelers to India