From decoy wallets to carrying dummy bank cards, here are 17 useful tips to safeguard you from police wrongdoing.
Many travelers have had the misfortune of being bulldozed and bullied into paying bribes, facing fines for phantom offenses, being robbed by police officers, and having officials unfairly wielding their power over them. As revealed by Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Somalia, Syria, South Sudan, Venezuela, and Yemen are believed to have the highest degrees of corruption in their public sectors. Out of 180 countries ranked, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, and Singapore had the cleanest bill of health, but corruption can happen anywhere. The Germany-based anti-corruption non-profit defines corruption as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.”
If this happens to you while traveling, don’t let it ruin your entire experience. Here are some best practices for dealing with corrupt police and bribery requests when traveling.
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Be Aware of Local Scams
Be forewarned about a country’s corruption culture. Have a look on social media and travel forums for chatter about the tricks and tactics that morally questionable officials are using in a given place. Depending on where you’re going, unscrupulous officers might fabricate a reason to stop you. If you’re driving, they might speak about an illegal turn, speeding, or claim you weren’t using your seatbelt. Even if you’re walking down the street going your merry way, they may accuse you of public intoxication, drug use, jaywalking, or some other salacious story. In Mexico, I was stopped two nights in a row by police who claimed that someone matching my exact description had just committed a burglary and therefore, they needed to search me. I mentioned how coincidentally, the very same thing had happened the night before with two different police officers. I started filming my conversation with them and they quickly let me go.
Document Your Interaction
The violation of your civil rights will be difficult to prove in the event that things escalate and you have a legal matter on your hands further down the line. So it’s a good idea to protect yourself and document everything. This includes taking notes and photos of the officers, or better still, filming the entire interaction. Recording the search will protect you from having fake evidence planted on your person or in your belongings. This also signals to the individuals that you have your wits about you and that you aren’t a low-hanging fruit that’s ripe for plundering. Of course, be respectful and mindful of places where filming in public is not permitted. By collecting evidence of your dealings, you will be better positioned to file a complaint, get yourself out of trouble, or seek legal action against corrupt officials. Ask for and take note of their ID or badge number as well as the time, date, exact location, their car license plate, and police car number.
Don’t Buy Drugs
According to Transparency International, the go-to source for global data on corruption, police misconduct manifests itself in a variety of ways with various levels of severity. This ranges from petty bribery in everyday transactions (such as traffic police) to colluding with criminals and allowing the infiltration of crime syndicates. It goes without saying but interacting with drug dealers can result in you getting set up by crooked cops who are in cahoots with organized crime gangs and drug pushers. Once the transaction is done, the lawless law enforcers may suddenly emerge and then solicit a steep fine for the crime they have just witnessed.
Ask for a Receipt
If you feel you’re being shaken down or fined unjustly, request a receipt or valid proof of the transaction, suggests Frank Harrison, regional security director of the Americas at World Travel Protection, which provides security and medical assistance to travelers during and after their trips. “Asking for a receipt can help you later,” he says. If the on-the-spot cash fine is legitimate, they should have no problem providing this. Having this proof may deter corrupt behavior and make it easier to report the incident later. Also, don’t readily accept being told that the receipt will come later in the mail or by email, ask for one right there and then. It’s also handy to request a written citation or a copy of the law or rule you are purportedly breaking if you feel one has been fabricated.
Don’t Mention Paying Bribes on Social Media Until After You Leave the Country
“Accusing government officials of corruption can lead to detention,” Harrison notes. “If you announce publicly that you paid a bribe, this could be grounds to charge you criminally,” he cautions. Whether or not paying bribes is part and parcel of life in that country, it is still an offense, so don’t put yourself in a vulnerable position. Even if you’re frustrated and venting, don’t announce on social media that you paid a bribe while you’re still within that country’s borders. Once you’ve left, feel free to publicize the details of the experience on your social networks or report it to your local newspaper.
Keep Your Cool
Always remain calm and polite when police or other officials stop you. Harrison recommends being non-threatening and cooperative when faced with corrupt cops. “Do not argue or resist, as this may escalate the situation,” he urges.
Similar advice also comes from Hans Mast, a travel agent with Golden Rule Travel who has visited 57 countries. “If you get angry and start yelling or arguing with [authorities], you give them a justification for doing you harm,” he states. “By being friendly, laughing, and asking questions, it is very difficult, even in a culture that tolerates bully cops, for them to justify mistreating a foreigner.”
Be respectful, don’t raise your voice, and stay composed to keep things from escalating. Aggression could get you arrested for disorderly conduct or physical or verbal abuse. Never make fun of the officers or question their authority and thus give them a reason to teach you a lesson. A bit of ego-stroking won’t go amiss either. Go on a charm offensive and call them “sir” or “ma’am” or even thank them for assisting you with the matter.
Ask Plenty of Questions
Rather than making combative statements, Mast recommends asking plenty of questions of the officers talking to you. “This puts the ball back in their court with questions they’re often ill-equipped to answer either from a language perspective or a logic perspective.” Mast adds that this also buys you time to feel out the situation. “When they’re used to eliciting fear and they fail to do so, you can see them start to sweat and re-evaluate in real-time.”
Don’t Say That You’re in a Hurry
When dealing with corrupt officers abroad, trial lawyer and founder of Schmidt & Clark, LLP, Collen A. Clark, advises against mentioning that you’re in a hurry. “When you tell the officer that you need to be somewhere else as soon as possible, they’ll take advantage of it by saying that you need to pay a ‘fee’ in order for them to let you go.”
Clark explains that in this instance, you’ll be motivated to just pay up to get on your way. “Instead of acting impatient, do anything to wear them down as they’re there to make money, so they’ll want to make it as quick as possible,” he points out. Getting tied up with you endlessly might cause them to ponder over the opportunity cost of dilly-dallying there when they could be fleecing an easier target. For this reason, use delaying tactics and act like time is on your side whether or not you have a flight, tour, or dinner reservation to make. Acting impatient will incentivize the person to keep you hostage and extort money from you because they know you’re anxious to leave.
Just Speak English
Take advantage of language barriers. If you’re in a non-English speaking country, don’t try to speak the local language even if you can. Clark suggests simply sticking with English, smiling, and asking questions in a nice way. “There’s a great chance they’ll just let you go; think of it as a war of attrition,” he states.
If the offending official doesn’t have a great command of English, they may quickly tire of you and go on the hunt for another victim to bother. In popular tourist destinations, police may indeed be fluent in English, but you can try to give them the run around by speaking slowly, repeating yourself often, or feigning ignorance to reduce the ease of “doing business” with you.
Insist on Paying Fines at the Police Station
To make sure a fine is legitimate and isn’t going straight into a police officer’s pocket, kindly insist on going to the police station to pay it. Clark explains that if you ask the officer to go to the local police station, two things can happen. “Either they’ll back down and let you go or they tell you that they’ll accept the ‘fine’ on the spot.”
Clark suggests that if the latter happens, you should still insist on going to their station so you can receive your citation and have a record of the transaction. While it might sound counterintuitive to push for this, going to the police station can be a paperwork-filled hassle that takes them away from their beat and also robs them of precious time they can be scouring for others to scam.
Don’t Carry a Lot of Cash
“Only carry around as much cash as you’re willing to lose,” says Rick Musson, who has been in law enforcement for 21 years and consults with US Insurance Agents. He proposes that if you have a run-in with a corrupt police officer who requests immediate payment of a fine, you can be honest about how much money you have. “They may take all the cash you have, but it won’t be a devastating loss if you’re not carrying very much,” he says.
Brazen officers lacking integrity might even order you to hand over your entire wallet and subsequently help themselves to whatever they deem reasonable. Protect yourself by not venturing out with large wads of cash. Also, put money in different parts of your clothing and accessories so that when you open your wallet the police don’t see everything you have because chances are they will want it all.
Don’t Pay Bribes Openly
According to Elise Wortley of Untamed Borders, if you are trying to bribe your way out of a situation, you should never do it openly. The adventure travel company has worked for 15 years across Central Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and North and East Africa including facilitating trips to South Sudan, Syria, and Somalia—the three countries listed as most corrupt in Transparency International’s corruption index.
“Slipping a note in a passport for the official to take another look is better than handing the money directly,” Wortley prescribes. “You can deny it was a bribe easier this way.” Police are palpably aware that soliciting bribes is illegal and will want you to show discretion when paying.
Play the VIP Card
Whenever you are approached by police officers who you feel have bad intentions, strive to namedrop someone you know that they might respect or fear. Police may try to intimidate you because they think you’re just another tourist, but they might act differently if they know you are connected to a politician, lawyer, or a diplomat. Whether or not this is true, this lets them know that you also have some form of authority and that there might be undesirable consequences for their actions if they choose to pick on you. If you work at a big-name company or multinational (or know someone that does), have a business card from that firm in your wallet so they will at the very least believe that you have influential connections and the power of an organization behind you. Note that namedropping may not be the best strategy in countries where express kidnappings are common, as this could make you a prime target for ransom demands.
Use the Tried-and-Tested Fake Wallet Trick
Get small bills, one or two photographs of you with people in your life, an identification card that you don’t mind losing, and a well-used wallet and keep this with you to present whenever you’re traveling in a place where bribery and corruption are rife. To make it as believable as possible that this is your actual wallet, include a grocery shopping list for added effect or a receipt where you paid with cash (so that the last four digits of your bank card aren’t visible). Throw in some old bank cards that you no longer use for good measure. This will be the perfect decoy for greedy cops as well as pickpockets.
Within your decoy wallet, it’s important not to take all your bank or credit cards out with you. Simply bring one travel debit card that doesn’t have a very high daily withdrawal limit. That way, if dubious officials forcefully escort you to a cash machine to pay a “fine”, they won’t be able to bleed you dry. Having a digital bank account like Revolut’s can help you navigate this uncomfortable scenario. Revolut was designed with travelers in mind and it lets you instantly freeze and unfreeze your bank card within the app which could come in handy when being forced to make a cash withdrawal against your will.
Have a Data Plan on your Phone
For your safety, it’s helpful to always have a data plan on your phone so that you quickly search for any emergency phone numbers in the event that you are cornered and propositioned by corrupt police. This could be to contact your embassy or consulate, a local citizen’s advocacy group, or your hotel reception or concierge to bail you out. You can also access your online banking to block your cards and inform a family member of your whereabouts in case you feel an official is threatening you or being excessively aggressive.
INSIDER TIPIf you don’t have an international roaming phone plan, you can buy a digital sim from a company like Airalo so you always stay connected abroad.
Be Mindful at Borders and Checkpoints
Transparency International asserts that border activities are particularly vulnerable to corruption for a variety of reasons. This includes limited external oversight, border officials being paid inadequate salaries, and the level of authority and autonomy they enjoy. When crossing borders, don’t tempt opportunistic bad actors by bringing in banned items and ending up being fined heavily for seemingly minor infringements. Apart from researching visa and passport requirements, you should also find out the prohibited and restricted items of any country you are traveling to. Things like mosquito repellants, sprays, multiple DVDs, and even rice or pasta might be disallowed in the foreign country you’re visiting.
Know Your Rights and the Local Laws
Corrupt police are often banking on tourists being unaware of local laws and customs. The more you know about the legalities and requirements of the place you’re visiting, the less likely you are to fall prey to police officers that are overextending truths. For instance, depending on where you are, you don’t actually have to consent to being searched. In some places, police cannot carry out a body or bag search without your consent unless you are being arrested or if they have probable cause or a search warrant.
Arm yourself with knowledge and carry out pre-trip research on country-specific customs and border websites or large-scale government databases like GOV.UK (the website of the United Kingdom government) where you can search for tips for visiting 226 countries and territories. The U.S. Department of State travel advisory will also provide crucial insight into the political situation, safety levels, and consular information for any country you plan to visit.