How Not to Get Scammed in Egypt

1. Reject them with Confidence

Scammers are like flies. When they spot tourists, they will be all over them like flies on shit. A firm "no" and a smile are more than enough to drive them away since there are other poor souls out there for them to rip off. However, if you start to be indecisive or simply ignore them without saying anything, they will stick to you like a blood-sucking leech until they get something, and by that time, it will already be too late. They have invested more than 5 seconds of their valuable time, and they WILL be determined to get something from you.

2. Don’t make eye contact

If you spot a scammer before they do (which is unlikely), don't make eye contact. In their language, it means that you give them permission to harass you for the rest of your life. If it is too late and they approach you, follow the first tip above.

3. Don’t trust locals who speak perfect english

If you see someone approaching you and they start to greet you in perfect English, I bet your ass you will be scammed in a few minutes. One thing I learned from Egypt is that the locals who speak little to no English are the most genuine and helpful people, whereas the others who speak perfect English and seem to be helpful at first will likely scam the hell out of you.

4. “I can no speak england”

As an Asian, I find this to be useful most of the time. Pretend like you don't speak English, and they will find other poor souls to harass. Communication is how they lubricate their way into your wallet, and without that, they cannot do anything.

5. Put on your headphones

I like putting my headphones on and listening to music when I walk around in a city, and I found that I was less harassed by scammers because of that. When someone approaches you trying to sell you stuff, just point to your headphones and they will bother you no more.

6. When in doubt, start climbing

Be it stairs or a hill, start climbing and they will not follow you. Scammers are lazy as fuck... that is why they scam people for a living in the first place.

When I was in Egypt, a couple of friends and I decided to climb a sand dune to watch a sunset over Aswan. At the top, we found a nice ruin and asked a few people if we could go up there. The answers were mixed. Some said we had to pay to go into the temple area to reach the top, while others said there were no boats going in and out of the island that late and we had to hire a personal feluca. Naturally, all of these claims were false, so we took a local boat to the dune and started climbing from the other side, without going through the temple area. A few people (definitely not the authorities) started shouting at us in Arabic, but we continued the climb anyway. They gave up after 5 minutes and weren't even waiting for us at the bottom.

When you can't seem to shake these people off, try climbing stairs or anything you can find that requires physical effort, and I guarantee you, they will not follow, unless they have a camel and they decide to chase you with it. If that is the case, then I'm afraid you are screwed.

7. Don’t trust people who hang out with officials

Everyone got scammed at the Giza pyramids. The first thing people do when they land in Cairo is to go see the pyramids without knowing anything. I was among one of them.

It was my first morning in Cairo, and I managed to get a metered taxi to the pyramids. All went well until the taxi dropped me off at the wrong entrance, and I was left with the officials and a few other locals. One guy among the officials approached and told me that I had to go to another entrance, which was quite far away. He offered to walk me to the other entrance. I was young and stupid then, so I accepted the offer like an amateur. In my defense, I did not know any better because I did not know where the entrance actually was, and he was among those officials, so I trusted him. He got me in and wanted to guide me around; I realized then that he was a scammer, so I told him to leave me alone. He would not, and I ended up paying him 300 EGP to get him out of my face. That was the price I paid for being stupid. From that day on, my daily goal was to not get scammed by these devil spawns.

So the lesson is, DO NOT trust people even if they seem to be acquainted with authorities.

8. Always agree on the price first

Whatever you do, do not accept their offers before both parties agree on the price. Even if they say things like “just come on the feluca first” or “just sit on the taxi first”. They will scam you into oblivion and won’t let you go until you pay them, and maybe even donate your kidneys to them.

9. Go with a Tour Guide

If you truly desire to visit Egypt and avoid any encounters with scammers, the optimal approach is to explore these destinations with the assistance of a local tour guide. The sole means to achieve this is by joining an organized tour.

There are several day trips you can join in Egypt from Viator or GetYourGuide. If you want to explore further, you can also go on an organized multi-day trip that will help you avoid all the unnecessary annoyances that come with visiting Egypt.

If you do get scammed..

Do not take it too seriously. Everyone got scammed no matter how smart we think we are. The most important thing is your safety, and if things get sketchy, just pay it and save yourself. Money is replaceable; your life is not. The point of this post is for you to learn how to avoid putting yourself in a sketchy situation and help you enjoy the country more.

I love Egypt. It was awesome to see all the ancient ruins and interact with the locals (the good ones). The purpose of this post is not to discourage you from visiting Egypt or any other countries known for scams but to help you understand the reality and show you how you can avoid those unfortunate situations and still have a great time.

Further Reading for Egypt

I have plenty of articles to help you with your trip planning in Egypt. Here is a selection of articles about Egypt that you might like:

• Looking for a complete itinerary and travel guide for Egypt? 2-week itinerary for Egypt.
• Home to the Giza Pyramids, Cairo is probably the first place you will be in Egypt. Other than the pyramids, there are also other things you can do too. Here are the 10 Best Things To Do in Cairo, Egypt.
• Aswan, home to the famous Abu Simbel and Philae temples, is a must-visit when you are in Egypt. Here are the 8 Best Things to Do in Aswan, Egypt.
• They don't call Luxor the land of palaces for nothing. Here are the 10 Best Things to Do in Luxor, Egypt, including all the temples and tourist attractions you shouldn't miss.
• My praise of Egypt isn’t convincing? Why not let photos tell the story. Check out 22 photos that will inspire you to visit Egypt.
• You can also watch my travel video here: The Only Egypt We Have.
• To see all articles about Egypt, visit the Egypt Travel Guide page.
• Looking for more travel guides for the Middle East? You can find more on my Middle East Travel Guide page.
• For more of my travel guides, visit my Destinations page.