Updated 2026
Remember the old saying: If it's too good to be true, it probably is. That wisdom applies to travel deals, vendor offers, and new "friends" with business proposals.
The scenario: You're in a market. A vendor approaches claiming he has access to gemstones—rubies, sapphires, emeralds. He'll sell them to you for a fraction of their actual value. You can resell them at home and turn a profit. This happens in India, Thailand, Cambodia, and Morocco specifically.
Here's why it's a scam: If gemstones were actually underpriced and profitable, wealthy people in those countries would buy them. They don't. The stones are fake, treated to look real, or sold with inflated "real" prices so your "discount" still exceeds actual value. You pay $500 for a ruby worth $50.
The same logic applies to other deals:
- "Special exchange rate" money changers (they're counterfeiting or short-changing)
- "Investment opportunities" in local businesses (the business doesn't exist)
- "Discounted" electronics or jewelry from people you just met (stolen or fake)
- "Exclusive tours" that undercut established operators (where's the profit?)
The pattern is consistent: A stranger offers you a deal no legitimate business would offer. They're either lying, stealing, or conning you.
How to respond: Assume everyone approaching you with an unsolicited offer is operating from self-interest. That's not paranoia; that's math. If they're making money on the deal, they're not just being friendly.
The exceptions: Business owners in established shops, hotel staff, registered tour operators, and people you've met repeatedly. They have reputations to protect. Everyone else is a transaction waiting to separate you from money.