An Australian woman is warning other travellers after she was scammed in Bali while exchanging her Australian money for the local currency.
Posting in a Facebook group dedicated to Bali travel, the woman said she had been scammed while she was trying to exchange money.
Trading her money at a local exchange store, the woman said she was shocked to discover she was left with less than she was due.
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“I used a non-authorised user who counted the money three times and then later in the day, my driver said check money now, and I couldn’t believe it, it was much less,” she said.
“My driver drove me back to that person, and told him to give me my money back, or he will call police.”
Travellers said they believed some dodgy exchangers used a sleight of hand trick, to steal funds from unsuspecting tourists wanting to exchange money.
The woman went on to recommend other travellers get their own driver after she praised the actions of hers in helping her obtain the correct amount.
“This is one good reason to have a personal driver for your whole stay,” she said.
The post quickly gained the attention of many other frustrated travellers who had also fallen victim to the trick.
“I had a friend here a few months ago. She exchanged $600, counted it, walked away,” one person wrote.
“When she told me, I said count it again now. She discovered IDR (Indonesian rupiah) 3,000,000 ($A300) was missing.”
Travellers suggested either exchanging cash in Australia before leaving for the holiday destination, trying to track down a reputable exchange venue over there, or simply visiting an ATM.
“It’s a better exchange to get money out at the ATM with your card,” one traveller added.
“Macquarie Bank have no fees.”
Travel advice
When it comes to exchanging currency, the Australian Government travel service Smart Traveller has multiple warnings about scams in Bali.
“Beware of scams and confidence tricks,” it said.
“Only exchange money at authorised money changers.
“Unauthorised money changers have been known to scam foreign tourists in Bali and elsewhere.”
Authorised money changers can also be found on the Bali Foreign Exchange website.
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