Common tourist scams in United Arab Emirates and how to avoid them

Most visitors to the UAE never lose money to a scam, and street crime is rare. The pattern that catches tourists is a soft one: a price that starts high, a service that was never metered, or a friendly stranger who turns out to be selling something. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the places where it happens most, simply because that is where the visitors are.

Taxis are the classic case. Licensed taxis run on a meter, and the fare is cheap by Western standards. Problems come from cars that are not licensed taxis, from drivers who claim the meter is broken, and from long routes around a short trip. Booking through an app removes the argument: the route and price are recorded before you get in. If you take a car from the airport rank, check that the meter starts when you sit down, not when you arrive.

In the souks, the sale is a performance. A shopkeeper offers a scarf or a bottle of perfume, hands it to you, and then names a price far above what a local would pay. The pressure comes from the item already being in your hand. The fix is simple: agree the price before anything is wrapped or opened, and be willing to walk away. The same applies to henna artists, photo-with-a-falcon touts and camel rides on the beach, where the price quoted at the start is rarely the price at the end.

Gold and electronics are the two purchases where a fake or a bad deal costs real money. Gold sold in licensed shops in the Gold Souk or in malls comes with a receipt and a hallmark; gold bought from a man in a car park does not. Electronics offered at a huge discount from a shop with no address are usually grey imports, refurbished, or not what the box says. Buy from a brand store or a major retailer and keep the receipt.

Tours and tickets are the other soft spot. Desert safaris, dhow cruises and attraction tickets sold by a person on the street or in a hotel lobby may be real, but you have no recourse if the operator does not show. Book through the attraction, a licensed operator, or a well-known platform, and check that the price includes pickup and any park fees.

Cards and cash machines are generally safe. Use ATMs inside a bank branch or a mall rather than a free-standing machine on a pavement, and if the screen offers to charge you in your home currency, decline: the dirham price is almost always better. Keep the receipt and check your statement for a few days after.