Scam-tastic #2
Last week we took a look at an initial scattering of scams and hustles – mostly instigated by those in positions of authority. Well, there are plenty more where those came from, and we haven’t even started with the ‘official’ criminals!
As stated repeatedly: the Russian police are renowned for corruption and hustling for bribes, with the traffic police operating on a whole other ‘bent’ magnitude of their own – something to consider if you find yourself hiring a car! Apparently a popular trick involves them lying in wait behind a wall or billboard until you drive by, and then pulling you over on the barest pretext. For instance: you accelerated, ergo: you are speeding. It will come as no surprise to learn that your fictional speeding penalty could follow the official route of paperwork and hassle, or be settled, at a lower rate in cash here and now. No choice, really, is there? Needless to say: you won’t be handed an official receipt with the latter, the cash will disappear into the officer’s coat, and you’ll be allowed on your way.
I’ve heard a case of a local stopping a Westerner from calling over a police officer to intervene when someone was being beaten in the street. “Don’t”, they said: “It will only make things worse!”
In another instance; two female tourists were walking down a Moscow street when a police car pulled up alongside and one of the occupants wound down a window to address them. Concerned by the apparent seriousness of the situation, the women stopped and paid attention. “How much?” asked the officer; “How much do you charge for an hour?”.
Document checks by police are relatively common in Russia, especially of those who are obviously demonstrating their ‘foreign-ness’. Again, claims that they have not been completed correctly are a good source of ‘bribe-mileage’. I’ve heard recommendations to hold on to your paperwork and simply show the cooperating with the officer your details, though it’s hard to know what the best course of action is. Any behaviour that could be deemed ‘uncooperative’ or provocative is a very risky strategy, but at the same time; handing over your essentials puts you at the mercy of the recipient who could easily demand money in order to return them. No easy answers, I’m afraid.
The existence of ‘fake’ police officers has also been reported, whose sole purpose is to collect the contents of your wallet, your credit cards and your valuables. Are we heading into urban myth territory here? Frankly it wouldn’t surprise me either way. Such imposters would be playing a very dangerous game however; imagine trying to muscle-in on the police’s very profitable territory and then being found out. In addition to the corruption, the Russian police also have a reputation for being very ‘hands-on’, so to speak.
So you ask for an ID? Could that be deemed ‘provocative’ or ‘insulting’ in some way? Can you differentiate between real and fake Russian police’s IDs anyway?
The odd thing (one of many) is that scamming activities are sometimes so overt that they appear as part-and-parcel of everyday life. Witness the separate queueing for foreigners at some major attractions (ie: the Hermitage). The segregation is there so that foreigners can be filtered through the ‘pay-extra’ till, whilst the locals get in cheaper. There’s not even a token attempt to hide this practice. Tread carefully.
Another everyday scam lies in waiting within the taxi ranks, something that we’d barely give a second thought to, here in the West. Essentially there are three ‘strata’ to the overall taxi service. The newer, licensed and sanctioned cabs appearing in pre-ordained bays at key locations, the older ‘system’ of independent taxi drivers and the Russian-Roulette of random strangers that can be flagged down and hired, subject to negotiation.
Unfortunately even cabs that appear to be genuine/licensed can be ‘fake’, the older system of private hire has given rise to some appalling overcharging scams and the ‘random-stranger’ option is arguably as safe as it sounds, ie: not.
Herds of unlicensed ‘gypsy-taxis’ are known to wait around nightclubs ready to take advantage of staggering foreign revellers that are a little (or a lot) worse for wear. Or perhaps they’ll get you home safely and not rob you blind after all – who knows? Some advice states to never hail taxis from the street and rely only upon those arranged by your hotel (or possibly another ‘respectable’ institution), with a pick-up arranged for your initial collection at the airport when first arriving in Russia.
For those who do decide to use a street taxi, the advice that emerges favours using a genuine, registered cab (as far as you can tell), not getting into a cab that already has a passenger (‘could be anyone) and always agreeing upon a fare before getting into the vehicle, otherwise the driver can legally charge you anything. Public transport has never sounded so appealing – which is fortunate as it’s renowned for being cheap and good. At last; some words we want to hear.
[Photo by fmfm166]