Travel Scams in Cartagena

1. Scopolamine drugging via nightlife and dating apps

Criminals use sedatives — historically scopolamine, 'devil's breath' — slipped into drinks, food or cigarettes to incapacitate victims, then empty bank accounts and steal electronics; overdoses have been fatal. The US Embassy in Bogota states it regularly receives reports of such incidents in major cities including Cartagena, often targeting tourists through dating apps or in bars and nightclubs; the UK FCDO describes teams using women to ease victims into a false sense of security.

Warning signs

• A date or new acquaintance insisting on a specific bar or private location
• Drinks or cigarettes offered by strangers
• Feeling suddenly disoriented or compliant
• Waking with accounts drained and no memory

How to avoid it

• Meet app dates only in public places and tell someone your plans, per the US Embassy
• Never accept drinks, food, cigarettes or flyers from strangers
• Keep drinks in sight and bank apps behind separate PINs
• Do not invite new acquaintances to your accommodation

2. Street-taxi robbery and express kidnapping

Criminals posing as taxi drivers select targets — often near ATMs and at night — then hold victims briefly while forcing multiple transfers or ATM withdrawals, the 'express kidnapping' the UK FCDO calls common in Colombia. The US State Department prohibits its own staff in Colombia from hailing street taxis at all.

Warning signs

• Street-hailed cabs rather than dispatched or app cars
• A driver diverting from the route with locked doors
• A second person joining the ride
• Demands for cards, PINs and phone transfers

How to avoid it

• Book taxis by phone, through your hotel or restaurant, or via Uber/Cabify
• Use only authorised taxis from the airport booth
• Use ATMs inside banks or malls during business hours
• Follow kidnappers' instructions if targeted, then report immediately

3. Restaurant and vendor overcharging ('gringo pricing')

Tourist-facing restaurants and beach vendors quote no price up front, then present inflated bills — Colombia Reports covered a French couple wrongly charged $285 for a Cartagena meal before being robbed. On Bocagrande's beaches, vendors hand over drinks, massages or oysters 'to try' and then demand payment at tourist multiples.

Warning signs

• Menus without prices or prices 'on request'
• Vendors placing items in your hands before agreeing a price
• A bill with items you did not order
• Pressure to pay immediately and in cash

How to avoid it

• Confirm every price in pesos before accepting anything, including 'free samples'
• Ask for the menu with prices before ordering
• Check the bill line by line and query additions
• Pay by card where possible so there is a record

4. Fake police counterfeit-money inspection

Criminals posing as police stop tourists and ask to inspect their cash 'to check for counterfeits', then switch or confiscate the genuine notes. The UK FCDO records criminals posing as police running this scheme in Bogota and elsewhere in Colombia, and advises asking to be escorted to the nearest police station (CAI) instead of handing anything over.

Warning signs

• Plain-clothes 'officers' initiating a money inspection on the street
• No patrol car or station involved
• Requests to hand over your wallet or count your cash
• Refusal to go to a police station

How to avoid it

• Never hand over cash or your wallet for a street 'inspection'
• Ask to be escorted to the nearest CAI police station
• Carry a colour copy of your passport and keep the original in the hotel safe
• Exchange money only at banks and authorised exchanges, per FCDO advice

Practical safety briefing

• Airport arrival: At Rafael Nunez airport, use the authorised taxi booth rather than kerbside drivers, or book Uber/Cabify with plate verification — Colombia's government advisories treat street-hailed taxis as a robbery and kidnapping vector.
• Trusted transport: Uber and Cabify, or taxis booked by phone through your hotel or restaurant; the old town and Getsemani are walkable in daylight.
• Money & payments: Exchange dollars or euros only at banks and authorised exchanges — never on the street. Use ATMs inside banks, supermarkets or malls during business hours, given the express-kidnapping pattern around ATM users.

Official travel advisories

• UK FCDO — Documents scopolamine druggings via dating apps and nightlife, express kidnappings by fake taxi drivers, and fake police running money inspections.
• US State Dept — Warns that drugging, extortion and kidnapping occur frequently in some regions, cautions on dating-app use in Colombia, and bars US staff from hailing street taxis.

Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.