Istanbul is a great place to visit, but just like any other tourist spot, there are some scams that you have to watch out for. The scams in Istanbul happen all the time, and that is why we are going to talk about ways to avoid these scams at all costs. We will also talk about a few other things that you need to keep in mind when in Istanbul.
Be vigilant
The first thing that we need to address, before we get into scams, is stalking. Women that go to Turkey in general and Istanbul specifically might get stalked by men in the are. These stalkers normally assume that tourists have a lot of money and women are easiest to overpower.
Also, some of the men can become very sexually aggressive. To avoid having someone stalk you, as soon as you notice them, you need to create a public scene. This can be done by yelling “Birak beni” which means leave me alone.
Also, it is good to remember that African American tourists can sometimes be treated with very little respect. Thus, this may be an area that you do not want to visit. The city is not tolerant for ethnic backgrounds, meaning that some African American people may be rejected from some nightclubs without any kind of reason at all.
The last thing to watch out for is the taxi drivers. These are the biggest scams in Istanbul. The best way to avoid these taxi drivers is to not use them. If you have to, be sure you sit in the front seat where you can watch the meter. Some taxi drivers have a bad habit of switching the meter and putting your price for a short trip way up there. Then they will keep the difference and make extra money.