Chapter Three
Scams & Street Sense
The handful that actually catch visitors, and the tell for each
Reviewed August 2026 · Fees, forms and fines change. Ask us to confirm before you fly.
Bali is a safe place and the overwhelming majority of people you meet are straightforward. But a small trade exists around arriving tourists, and it runs the same few plays every season. None of them work on someone who knows the shape of them.
The money changer count
You are given a good rate, the cashier counts a thick pile fast, then recounts it once more "to be sure" — and notes leave the pile on the second pass. Sometimes it is a calculator with a sticky key, or a commission mentioned only at the end.
The tell — Count it yourself and do not hand it back. If they insist on recounting, take your own currency and walk out.
Your destination is closed today
A driver tells you the temple, market or beach you asked for is shut — a ceremony, a holiday, renovations — and offers somewhere better. The somewhere better pays him a commission.
The tell — It is almost never closed. Ask us, or ask your hotel, and go where you meant to go.
The scooter damage claim
You return a rented bike and are shown a scratch, a dented panel or a bald tyre that you are certain was there when you collected it, and asked for a large cash repair.
The tell — Photograph and video the whole bike, all round, with the renter present, before you ride away. It ends the argument before it starts.
The meter that does not run
A taxi meter is "broken", or a price is agreed and then renegotiated once you are moving and it is raining.
The tell — Use a metered Bluebird, a ride app with the fare shown up front, or a driver you arranged. Agree the fare before the doors close.
The on-the-spot fine
You are stopped on a bike, told about an offence, and offered a discount for paying cash immediately, sometimes at an unofficial figure.
The tell — Real fines come with a written ticket. Stay polite, ask for the ticket, and ask to pay at the police station. Never argue and never lose your temper.
The card machine that travels
Your card is taken away to be processed somewhere out of sight, or an ATM in a quiet street has a card reader that does not sit quite flush.
The tell — Keep your card in view, use machines inside banks, and turn on transaction alerts before you fly.
The bag on the shoulder
Bags snatched from the pavement side by a passing scooter, or lifted from an unzipped backpack in a crowd.
The tell — Strap across the body, on the wall side of the pavement, and nothing valuable in an outside pocket.
If something goes wrong
Call us first — we are on the island and we speak the language, and most of these are sorted out with a phone call. For anything that needs the police, the Bali Tourist Police are used to visitors and helpful: +62 361 224 111. Report a theft on the day if you want an insurance claim to succeed.
Reviewed August 2026. This chapter carries figures that expire — fees, levies, fines and phone numbers. They were checked against current sources in August 2026, and the hedging in the copy above is deliberate. Message us and we will confirm what is current for your dates.