When you visit the Philippines and land on the airport, you will encounter people who will take snapshot photographs of you. They will even ask you to smile or wave to the camera. No, they are not your fans or neither are they just happy to see you. When you step out of the Check-out counter, they will come up to you and present you with your snapshot. They will then ask you for a photographer’s fee which amounts from 10 US$ to 20 US$. If you choose not to buy the photo, they will tell you sad stories such as they need the money for their children’s tuition, to pay hospital bills, or that it’s the only way they can get money for food. Don’t believe them. Most of these guys earn around 100 US$ up to 200 US$ per day doing these kind of scams. Besides, who wants their picture taken after a long grueling flight?

The Philippines is famous for erring policemen and authorities. It’s even generally accepted by most Filipinos that the Philippine Government is dishonest, and a majority of Government Employees and Politicians are crooked. There are a few who really work with integrity and honesty though, specially in the civil service section.

There are however people who pose as Government officials and Policemen who would try to extort money from you any which way they can. They often have ID’s with them to make their scam more real but these ID’s are often Fake or Expired. Even lowly traffic enforcers, Baranggay Tanod (Government Neighborhood Patrol Officers), and Mediamen will try to con you. There are even Airport and Immigration officers right at the Airport who will try to extort you. A recent news story reported how some American tourists from California U.S.A were stopped by two “supposed” Immigration officers and tried to swindle them at the Airport while they were flying back to the US. Since it was their first Visit to the Philippines, they had no clue why the officers were charging them with overstaying in the country even though they had taken all the proper proceedings for their stay. They were taken into a room and were told that they have to pay 1000 US$ each as penalty for overstaying. One of them excused himself to go to the bathroom and managed to call a Filipino friend and reported the situation. The Filipino friend of the American tourists rushed to the airport and called in security. He told airport officials that he will report the incident to the US Embassy and call up some media men. They released the tourists and they were able to board their flight. One of them was so scared that she promised herself not to return to the Philippines because of the incident. What a sad and humiliating story. If you ever get in trouble with these kind of scumbags, your best defense would be to consult your Embassy. Do not panic and be cool headed. They can only extort and exploit you if you panic or get scared. If they threaten you, threaten them back. Tell them you will report to your Embassy and that you know some Police officials (even if you don’t). Try to get out of the room they confined you in, in most cases, they will try to stop you but will definitely avoid hurting you.

The streets of the Philippines are littered with obnoxious taxi drivers, specially in the National Capital Region. These people often charge you extra fee aside from the meter reading or even ask you for a flat “contract fee” saying that the place you want to go to is too far or the traffic is heavy, or tells you that you have a lot of luggage. Some would “beat around the bush” and drive through a labyrinth of streets so that the meter would jack up.

Government offices are swamped with “Fixers” who would offer faster processing of legal papers and documents for a fee. Most of these people are legitimate employees of the office who claim they have “powerful connections” that would enable you to get your papers done quickly. Though some of these “Fixers” do tend to get the job done, they often charge a huge amount of money, often 10 to 20 times more than what you really have to spend. There are also those who hand you out fake documents.

Foreigners who seek Filipina Brides often come across Ads about Filipina Mail Order brides. Though this practice is common, and there are legitimate companies who delve into such affairs, there are also those scam artists who take advantage of this opportunity. The racket is that the company will fix all the papers for your mail order bride. To alleviate suspicions, they will give you the contact information of your bride via Cellphone, Landline Telephone, Mail and Email, or even Webcam Chat, so that you can talk to them. The company would then ask for Payments for the Processing Fee, Company Fee, and other Fees. The girl would then talk to you and confirm that the company is indeed processing the proper papers and legal documents that would enable her to fly to your country. As you get to communicate with the girl, she will earn your trust and affection, and would sometime ask financial aid from you. This will start off with just little things such as some shopping money or a payment for tuition (if the girl is still a student). Then it would gradually increase until you send huge amounts of money for things such as hospitalization of a Family member. . If you show signs of impatience to the company or if you seem to fail to send the girl financial aid, all communications with the company and the girl would then completely disappear, and you will never hear from them again.

This is a scam wherein you would receive a text/SMS message or a call telling that you have won a promo or a contest, your Visa has expired, or that you have an urgent parcel. Be wary of these SMS messages and calls. Legitimate promos and contests from Establishments and Companies often have just 3 to 5 digit numbers as their Cellphone numbers. For text/SMS message or calls about your Visa or a parcel, check with the company or establishment’s accredited and official phone numbers to verify the call.

A scam similar to the Fencing-Selling Scam. The modus operandi is that a girl would offer you “Sexual Service” in exchange for money. She is often very charming and a smart talker so she can lure and convince you to take her services. If you agree, she will suggest a place where you can save on motel expenses. Once there, and as you go on to do the deed, she will cry out rape. Two to three guys will bust into your room and try to pound you. Then they will tell you that they won’t call the police if you offer them money. In some night bars, KTV and Disco Pubs, (specially in Manila and Quezon City) there are girls who walk to you and tell you the she likes you. She will offer to have sex with you in a nearby dark alley or at the parking area. If you take the bait, as you and the girl are “getting it on”, she will suddenly cry rape and again, some guys from out of nowhere will jump to the scene. Again, they will offer that they will take care of the situation if you pay them.

A newer version of this scam is that a young girl would approach you and offer sex. Most of the time, Foreigners tend not to ask if the girl is of legal age, and if they do, she will show often show a fake ID, or a real one, depending on the situation. She will then agree to go with you in any place of your choice. If you don’t have a car, a cab would magically appear out of nowhere and she’ll flag it so you can get to your destination. As you get frisky in the cab or in your own car, a Police would suddenly stop the taxi or your car and charge you with Statutory Rape or Corruption of Minor, since the girl is underaged. If you insist that the girl is of proper age because she showed you her ID. The police would then ask the girl for an ID, and she will hand out one that is different form the one she showed you earlier. That ID would indicate that the girl is indeed underage. The police would then convince you to “Resolve” the situation by paying him.

This is a scam where somebody would sell you a genuine, good, quality product for a low price. Since the item is really great, and is the real thing, people often buy it. Then, a person dressed up as a Police Officer would show up, together with the seller and another person who acts as a complainant. The officer tells you that you violated the Anti-Fencing Law, which prohibits the purchase of stolen items. Even if you complain that you didn’t know the item was stolen, the officer would still try to arrest you, and the complainant will often shout that he/she will press more charges on you. The police officer would then offer you to “Settle” the problem by extorting money from you by paying him and the complainant. So be wary of buying staff from strangers.

The streets of Urban areas of the Philippines are littered with street sellers who sell Fake goods. Be wary of these street peddlers, since most of the products they sell are either Fake o Bootlegs. There also some stalls and retail establishments that also sell Fake or Imitation Goods. As a good precautionary measure always ask for a receipt.

You should be wary when you’re looking to exchange Foreign Currency to Philippine Peso. There are a lot of Fake Philippine Money circulating around. Foreign Tourists are the most vulnerable victims since most of them don’t know how to distinguish a Fake Philippine Monetary bill from a real one. Most of the time, they hang out outside Foreign Exchange Centers and convince you to deal with them because they offer higher exchange rates. Do not deal with these people. It’s better to exchange your currency to a certified Foreign Exchange center (or even Banks) to be sure.

Here is a General Guideline to check if your Philippine Peso Note is Genuine

1. A genuine peso bill is printed on a special kind of paper which is rough to the touch.

2. Look for watermark , which is the silhouette of the portrait appearing on the face of the note. Sharp details of the light and shadow effect can be seen when the note is viewed against the light.
3. Look for security fibers - - the embedded red and blue visible fibers - are scattered at random on both surfaces of a genuine note security threads and the iridescent band.

4. Look for the presence of the embedded security thread which is a special thread vertically implanted off the center of the note.

5. There is a windowed security thread which is a narrow security thread vertically located like "stitches" at the face of the note with clear text of the numerical value in repeated sequence and changes in color from magenta to green or green to magenta depending on the angle of view.

6. There is the iridescent band on the newer versions of 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 Peso notes.

7. There are serial numbers composed of 1 or 2 prefix letters and six to seven digits. The letters and numerals are uniform in size and thickness and evenly spaced.

8. The are lines and dashes composing the vignette are fine, distinct and sharp; the varying color tone gives a vivid look to the picture that makes it "stand out" of the paper.


There are also people who try to sell or exchange Fake Checks and Gift Certificates. These people often hang out at Retail Establishments such as the Malls and Supermarkets. They will often try to exchange their Fake Checks or Gift Certificates saying that they need cash for emergency purposes and they can not encash their check because either the bank is close or they forgot their I.D.’s.