Warning Signs That A Local Tour Guide Isn't Trustworthy

Some travelers like the challenge of striking out on their own in a new place, but there are times when even the most adventurous people find the use of a tour guide handy. From providing fast-pass access into crowded historical monuments to sharing their in-depth knowledge of a particular location, tour guides can be a wonderful asset during your holiday. Unfortunately, scammers are targeting travelers in 2025 like never before, with travel agency and tour scams being especially prevalent (per Mastercard Economics Institute's Travel Trends report). In fact, the report highlighted that agencies and tour guides account for "a major share of payment related fraud" in hotspots like Barcelona, Cancun, Delhi, and Hong Kong. Travel agencies and tour operators made up 70% of travel sector fraud in Hong Kong, 64%  in Delhi and Barcelona, and 48% in Cancun.

Falling for a tour guide scam can be a frustrating travel experience, as it robs you of precious vacation time, money, and trust in the entire process. So, don't let a fraudster deprive you of an enjoyable, informative holiday. Through (unfortunately) numerous testimonies from fellow travelers, we've compiled a list of shady tour guide tactics — from overpriced tour fees to unscheduled detours — to look out for, so you can weed out the trustworthy operators from the scammers.

Be wary of tour guides who approach you at the entrance of a monument or historical site. While scammers posing as tour guides will obviously not be as knowledgeable about a monument or a historical site as professionals, the slickest swindlers are smooth talkers, making it hard to verify the legitimacy of the facts they're imparting. 

Take the case of Matthew, an impostor who posed as an Oxford graduate and led tours that were heavy on comedy but light on actual facts. As one Reddit user shared, in addition to asking for upfront payment, Matthew relied on "humor and Harry Potter references to disguise his lack of knowledge." The faux guide also had no business account, leaving customers with limited options for warning others. Another Redditor who encountered Matthew explained, "Some people aren't native english speakers and some get pulled in initially by his jokes...he's a wannabe stand up comic – practicing his jokes with people he'll never see again." The commenter went on to add, "I'm annoyed because it was a waste of time, when I could've booked something legitimate."

Some fake tour guides can even put unwitting tourists in physical danger. In Poland, frauds have reportedly led unauthorized and illegal climbs up the Tatra Mountains, Poland's largest peaks in one of the world's best national parks. Qualified guides require two years of safety training, and fakes have prompted Polish park authorities to warn visitors to only book ascents with licensed officials. Remember, trustworthy tour guides will likely have a license or certification from their country's tour guide association. Before booking, make it a habit to always vet potential guides by cross-checking their websites with Google or TripAdvisor reviews and local tourist centers.

Tour guides apologizing for a closed attraction is a red flag. This is usually a prelude to them leading you to an alternate destination such as a gift shop or restaurant where you'll be forced to spend money, from which fake guides earn commissions. Scams like this are prevalent around temples in Thailand, where guides trick tourists into thinking the temples are closed and urge them to another spot with cheaper rates. The scam gets more complicated as tuk-tuks or ferries get involved, taking you to souvenir shops or restaurants where you'll be aggressively pushed to purchase something — which you'll probably end up doing just to end the "tour."

Unfortunately, such scams can even happen on packaged tours with respectable companies. In the middle of a tour in India, a Reddit user's tour group stopped at a block printing and textile shop recommended by their guide. The shop's aggressive sales tactics and high prices ended up being a lesson for the Redditor who, by the second optional stop in the tour, had gotten wind of the scam. "In any other situation, I would have spotted the grift from a mile away but I went in 100% trusting due to my guide's recommendation. I suppose my take away is to never lower my guard and always listen to my gut," wrote the Reddit user, whose purse strings were kept firmly closed during the rest of the tour.

If you do find yourself in such a situation, simply walk away and avoid any interaction — they're likely to stop bothering you if show disinterest. Always check the opening hours to monuments and tourist spots yourself, too.

Professional-looking websites, email confirmations, and images can easily be faked these days, so be on your guard when you think a tour you've just booked is too good to be true. A couple visiting Sri Lanka learned this lesson the hard way. Having booked and paid hundreds of dollars for a safari with a popular tour guide with a solid Instagram following, they were instead greeted by a driver who took them to a restaurant with instructions to await another guide. The guide never showed up, and calls made were left unanswered. What's more, the guide's social media channels had blocked them, cutting off any possible contact.

An even more heartbreaking scam befell a senior citizen group that booked a bogus South Africa tour with a freelance tour organizer — two years in advance. A total of roughly $44,000 was paid upfront, only for the entire trip to be taken and enjoyed by another tour group, leaving the buyers without any valid bookings. To make matters worse, credit cards were charged twice, and refunds apparently weren't fully returned. The Reddit user affected by the scam wrote, "As of now, this individual continues to be active on Instagram, promoting himself as a tour organiser and posting travel content as if nothing is wrong."

Sketchy tour guides online can even ask you to pay made-up fees. For example, another Reddit user reported one scammer demanding a "consultation fee" payment following a pre-booking inquiry over Facebook. A rule of thumb for not getting scammed: Never fork over money or give out your credit card details to unverifiable contacts. 

Another telling sign of an untrustworthy tour guide lies in their itineraries. Don't consider touring with a guide if their itinerary descriptions are vague or generalized. Tour descriptions mentioning "great views" or "a full tour" without providing specifics warrant a deeper probe. Asking your guide for more details could help you avoid a potential scam. As Rick Steves warns anyone researching their next vacation destination, make sure to distinguish the information from people who truly love travel versus those who are simply in it for the money.

Another red flag to watch out for is an extremely packed itinerary in a limited amount of time. An ambitious four-city tour in a span of five days, for example, almost guarantees that you won't be getting much sightseeing done on foot. Instead, you will probably be stuck in a bus or van as you speed past monuments in a rushed haze. During a tour of France, this was the case for one Redditor whose guide promised "a panoramic view" for taking pictures. As the user explained in a comment, "I think they mistook or misused the word panoramic for scenic, and the tour bus sure drove by the spot, at full speed!! I was totally expecting the bus to stop for a few minutes."

Want to look out for other potential cons while traveling in Europe? If so, this explainer on the most common scams tourists should know about before visiting Paris is a must-read.