1. Fake police counterfeit-money inspection
Men posing as police approach tourists and ask to inspect their money 'to see if it is counterfeit', then palm, switch or confiscate the genuine notes. The UK FCDO names Bogota specifically as a place where criminals posing as police run this scheme, and gives the countermove: ask them to escort you to the nearest CAI police station.
Warning signs
- Plain-clothes 'officers' stopping you on the street
- A request to see your wallet or count your cash
- No marked vehicle or station involved
- Pressure and urgency when you hesitate
How to avoid it
- Refuse to hand over money and ask to go to the nearest CAI police station
- Carry a colour copy of your passport; keep the original locked away
- Do not change money on the street — use banks and authorised exchanges
- Note descriptions and report to tourist police
Sources
2. Express kidnapping ('paseo millonario')
Criminals — often posing as taxi drivers — pick up a target, sometimes selected around ATMs, and drive them between cash machines forcing withdrawals and transfers until accounts are empty; the UK FCDO calls express kidnappings common in Colombia and records deaths of victims who resisted. The US State Department bans its staff from hailing street taxis anywhere in Colombia.
Warning signs
- Street-hailed taxis, especially at night
- A second passenger joining mid-ride
- Route diversions with doors locked
- Demands for cards, PINs and banking-app transfers
How to avoid it
- Book via Uber, Cabify or your hotel; El Dorado airport allows only authorised taxis
- Check the taxi is yellow with white plates and door/roof plate numbers
- Use ATMs inside banks during business hours
- Comply if abducted — resistance has been fatal — and report immediately after
Sources
3. Scopolamine druggings in nightlife and dating apps
Sedatives administered through drinks, food, cigarettes or even flyers leave victims disoriented and compliant while criminals empty accounts and steal phones; Bogota's Metropolitan Police reported over 1,600 scopolamine-linked robbery and disappearance cases in a single year, and the US Embassy has repeatedly warned that tourists are targeted via dating apps in bars and nightclubs.
Warning signs
- Strangers offering drinks, cigarettes or paper flyers
- Dating-app matches pushing quickly toward private locations
- Abrupt dizziness, compliance or blackout
- Bank transactions you do not remember
How to avoid it
- Meet app dates in public only and share your plans with someone
- Accept nothing consumable from strangers
- Keep drinks in sight and bank apps separately locked
- Pre-book taxis home rather than hailing after a night out
Sources
4. Unlicensed and street-hailed taxi robbery
Beyond kidnapping, unlicensed taxis are tied to straightforward assault and robbery. The UK FCDO advises licensed telephone or internet-based taxis only and describes El Dorado airport's authorised-taxi system: yellow cars with white licence plates, plate numbers on doors and roof, and driver ID displayed inside.
Warning signs
- A car that is not yellow with white plates and door/roof numbers
- No driver ID displayed inside
- Soliciting at the airport outside the authorised booths
- Refusal to use the meter or agree a dispatch fare
How to avoid it
- Use the authorised taxi booths at El Dorado airport
- Book through Uber, Cabify or your hotel
- Verify plates and driver details before getting in
- Ask restaurants to call your cab at the end of the night
Sources
Practical safety briefing
- Airport arrival: El Dorado only allows authorised taxis to pick up at its terminals — use the official booths and look for yellow cars with white plates and plate numbers on the doors and roof, or book Uber/Cabify with verification.
- Trusted transport: Uber and Cabify are the standard safe options; telephone-dispatched taxis booked by hotels and restaurants; avoid all street hails, as the US government does for its own staff.
- Money & payments: Use ATMs inside banks, supermarkets or shopping centres during business hours, and exchange currency only at banks and authorised exchanges — never on the street, where both counterfeit schemes and fake-police inspections operate.
Official travel advisories
- UK FCDO — Names Bogota for fake-police money inspections, documents common express kidnappings by fake taxi drivers, and details scopolamine druggings via dating apps.
- US State Dept — Warns of drugging, extortion and kidnapping, prohibits US staff from hailing street taxis, and cautions on dating-app use in Colombia.
Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.