Intramuros Horse Carriage

One of the common scams in Manila's biggest popular tourist destinations, that includes the expansive Rizal Park, the historic Intramuros Spanish Citadel, and the lengthy waterfront boulevard Manila Baywalk. They are known as "Kalesa", and they provide rides to tourists looking for a distinctive way to see the city. Kalesa are artistically painted horse-drawn carriages that were influenced by the Spanish era of the Philippines.

A certain number of people who operate carriages are dishonest and prey on both tourists and locals. They often carry out their scams in two distinct manners: once the tourist asks for a ride, the driver will advise them to get in and then leave without questioning about the fare. When you object, they will bring up an unreasonable cost and raise their voice and gesticulate in an attempt to intimidate and humiliate you in front of others.

Right before getting onto the carriage when taking a journey, it's crucial for passengers to negotiate over the most affordable fare. Some drivers might be willing to give you a rough estimate for a fair fee, but the actual price will be several times greater than the estimate. To prevent this, you could come to an understanding on the final amount to be paid before boarding the carriage and reiterate that it is the amount that you are obligated to pay after your trip is over.

Taxi Scam

No matter what country you visit, there are some techniques that a scam artist or taxi driver will do their best to take advantage of to deceive you into paying more money, and here's an example of one of the scams that they might try to pull out.

One of the most widely recognized scams in the Philippines centers around taxis. A significant number of drivers that will run a scam are fluent in English, which will assist them win over foreign tourists. As a result, they are going to strike up a polite discussion and offer advice on the best restaurants and tourist attractions. Some of these taxis, which you can locate near airports or on crowded streets, overcharge tourists from other countries as well as residents.

So, in order to prevent them from taking advantage of me, I am going to inquire as to whether they plan to charge me using the meter or not. I will haggle for an acceptable price before boarding if they opt not to make use of the meter because of the traffic. Some of the drivers might reason out that their meters aren't working and that you don't have to worry about the fare because they know how much it costs. Though, in most cases, try your best to find a taxi that uses a meter or has a working meter to avoid being scammed.

Online Shopping Scam

So many consumers have been deceived into paying for an unauthentic good just to discover that they aren't going to get it and that the money they spent has been gone. This is the "catch": scammers who operate online are a little more skilled and talented at fooling consumers into thinking they are in fact purchasing something that is genuine with their exaggerated sales pitch. You, as a customer, will either receive a fake product or something that's completely unrelated to what you ordered from them. 

So, the best thing to do in order to avoid these kinds of scams is to place an order as COD (Cash on Delivery) rather than paying it online and documenting yourself unboxing the product before handing over your payment to the delivery guy. This will assure you that you received the right order.