Returning to the cruise ship from the market, we decided to hire a horse carriage. We negotiated fee upfront and were happy with what felt like a fair price - $200 Egyptian Pounds (about USD$6.50.)
We got to our destination. My companion handed over two 50 pound notes, and I handed over one 100 pound note. As we walked away, you can imagine what the driver said, “you gave me 10! This is 10, not 100!”
At first, we totally knew it was a scam, and just kept on walking, saying, “No, we gave you 200.”
Well, I knew that in my bag I had one 10 pound note and one 100 pound note, and I started to feel worried that maybe I really did pay the wrong amount. I glanced down into my bag and saw one note there. Not having my glasses on, I thought I DID make a mistake.
Now the “embarrassment pressure” is on, it’s 104F and I just want to get out of there as quickly as possible, so I give him more money (at this point I may have given him another 200 😐)
Anyway, we get back to the ship, and, OF COURSE, I had given him the correct amount of money in the first place 🙄
Here I am thinking I’m an experienced traveler and I fell for one of the oldest cons.
Lessons learned:
1. Count out the money when handing it over.
2. If you do think you might have made a mistake, take your time. Put your glasses on or do whatever you need to to confirm. Scam artists thrive on making you feel pressured.
In the scheme of things, it was US$3, not US$30, and not US$300, so I am working on graciously accepting this as an adventure, a lesson learned, and a story to tell back home.