Common tourist scams in Seychelles and how to avoid them

Seychelles is a small island country where most visitors meet the same handful of situations: a taxi at the airport, a rental car or bike, a boat trip to a marine park, a villa booked online, and a beach where you leave your bag while you swim. Each of those has a known failure mode, and each is easy to defuse with one habit — agree the price and the terms before the service starts.

Taxi fares are the most common friction point. Meters are not universal, so ask the fare to your hotel before you get in, in SCR, and confirm whether luggage is extra. If the number sounds high, walk to the next car or use a hotel-arranged transfer. Airport-to-Beau-Vallon runs are the route where visitors most often feel overcharged.

Rental cars and scooters: photograph all four corners, the roof, the windscreen and the fuel gauge, and note existing scratches on the contract before you drive away. Seychelles roads are narrow with deep gutters, so damage disputes are common. Check whether the quoted price includes insurance excess and whether a credit-card hold is taken. Scooter riders should confirm they are covered by their travel insurance, because many policies exclude two-wheelers.

Boat trips and guided tours to Sainte Anne, Curieuse or the outer islands are usually fine when booked through a hotel or a licensed operator. The risk is the informal offer on the beach: no ticket, cash only, weather-dependent cancellation with no refund. Ask what happens if the sea is rough, and get the operator's name and a phone number.

Villa and apartment bookings made off-platform are the highest-value scam risk. A listing that asks for a bank transfer or a deposit to a personal account, with no verifiable address and no reviews, is the one to skip. Book through a platform with payment protection, or pay the hotel directly on arrival where that is offered.

On the beach, theft is opportunistic rather than confrontational. Do not leave phones, cameras or cash on a towel while you swim, even at busy beaches. Hotels and guesthouses have safes; use them. Carry a small amount of cash for the day and leave the rest locked up.

Card and ATM fraud exists but is not widespread. Use ATMs attached to banks in Victoria or at the international airport rather than standalone machines, cover the keypad, and decline dynamic currency conversion so you are charged in SCR. Keep the card in sight when paying, and check your statement after the trip.

Split your cash between a day wallet and a locked bag, and keep one card separate from the other. If one is lost or skimmed, you still have a way to pay.

Screenshot your booking confirmations, the operator's phone number and your accommodation address before you leave Wi-Fi. Mobile data on the islands can be patchy, and a screenshot settles most arguments at a jetty or a rental desk.

Pay in SCR when the terminal offers a choice of currencies. Being charged in your home currency usually costs more.

If something feels wrong — a price that changes mid-conversation, a guide who will not give a name, a landlord who only wants a transfer — stop and take the next option. There is almost always another taxi, another boat, another room.

Report serious fraud to the police on 999 and to your card issuer. For consumer disputes, your booking platform's resolution process is usually faster than a local claim.