Foreign Exchange Scam downtown Santiago
 

Recently police arrested two brothers scamming tourists in downtown Santiago by offering better exchange rates. They would take the money and tell the victim to wait while they went into an apparent door of an office. They would not return. The victims discovered the thieves escaped through a back passage out of the building.
http://latinamericacurrentevents.com...exchange-scam/

Sorry for those it happened to, but really...Foolish people who would fall for such a scam.

For some reason or other, almost all of the OP's posts contain a link to http://latinamericacurrentevents.com/ and to negative news.

Perhaps Fodor's should look into THAT, instead of deleting useful threads.

avrooster:

I think you are mistaken. I don't know how warning others about a foreign currency exchange scam in Santiago Chile is negative. In fact if it saved someone from being taken of their vacation money - that is a positive.

Also, look at my last two posts on the new planned Galapagos green airport and the plans of Puerto Williams Chile to increase their efforts in Antarctica. How are those negative when you state 'almost all'. The latinamericalinks.com site happens to cover a lot of all types of news from Latin America including travel issues for safety and security. This happens to be a subject that is little covered and few consider in their plans to Latin America.

Firstly, totally in agreement with yestravel. Chile has an open economic policy and you would have to be very foolish to think you would get a better deal from a shady character on a street corner in a country with no black market. But it only proves that it takes two to create a scam, the scammer and the victim.

Secondly, I agree with avrooster. Personally I am tired of these latinamericalinks posts on this and other forums. They are just a whole lot of links to other sources and are mostly phrased like tabloid headlines. Safety and security are amply covered in this and other travel forums and people are very good, in my opinion, about seeking the necessary advice from locals on the ground and other travelers.

Huentetu, how is 'Foreign Exchange Scam downtown Santiago' a tabloid title? What would you have suggested? Also, there was no other mention of this scam going on the forum. I found it relative to travel in Santiago along with safety and security. Some travelers are more astute then other both in age and maturity. I still don't see the problem of warning others if it has not been mentioned and it is a current news event. If you don't like the post why not move on to the next. In my opinion I don't think safety and security is ever amply covered by anyone or any organization.

The very fact that this made it into any news report is fair indication that it is not common practice. There are many other warnings which are more helpful to all tourists, more common, and never make the news. Those are the ones you find on a forum like this and not in a headline. I still think your posts are a waste of space, here and on other forums.

Clearly crowdpub is simply trying to drum up traffic for his own website (see contact info on that site) for what reason I can only guess but it is not too difficult to work that one out. Surely this is in breach of Fodors guidelines on commercail activities?

See my research in the latinamericacurrentevents.com thread

I mean: http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...teventscom.cfm

Lots of counterfiet scamming with street changers in SA

http://www.livinginperu.com/news-136...erfeit-capital

I only change at big banks.

Thanks for the heads up.

I appreciate the heads up as well, crowdpub. I wish someone had warned me that the tour operators at the airport in Cusco can be shady as well. I was cheated on a recent trip. I agree that not all tourists are equally savvy or equally cautious. It is reasonable to advise others of known specific negative experiences. I dislike the "victim deserves it" mentality.

I also would rather be an informed traveler. Isn't it "good" news that they were arrested?

Of course everyone wants to know what scams and dangers are out there and it is good to be informed. But there is no parallel market in Chile and very small variations from one exchange house to another. Common sense would tell you that there is no need to take the risk involved by changing on a street corner when there is no black market. This basic information can be found in any guidebook or or on any forum and it is very important to inform yourself a bit about any country before you travel there. No one is saying the victim deserves it. It is one of the main reasons we come on here to answer questions and give advice; helping people avoid becoming a victim. I think forum members supply, voluntarily and on their own time, more than headlines. But if people prefer headlines, so be it.