Cape Verde Tourist Traps

This is a Cape Verde specialty. You may even find yourself getting the 2 GIFTS SCAM. While you are out shopping a man will come up to you and start by asking what country you are from or ask if this is your first visit to Africa. After asking you a few questions about yourself the man will offer you a gift as you are a visitor. This is usually a cheap looking necklace (photo 1). Even if you try and politely refuse, you will still probably end up with this gift. Now the scam begins. He now tells you he made the gift himself and he has a shop. You have to come and see the shop as he has given you a free gift! This shop will be far away. This is how he gets people to come to the shop. Otherwise you would not see it. Once there you will see some clearly massed produced souvenirs that he will still tell you he made by hand himself. I have been told this by a 2 gift scammer who had a small stall next to 2 other stalls selling many duplicate mass-produced items.

The 2 gift scammers give you a second gift at the shop and tell you they don’t know the value and that it is meaningless to them. A few minutes later it is actually worth $40-50 and they would like a donation. The donation is for him to buy his family food to eat. The day is usually descried as a local holiday and he will tell you there will be a feast and dancing with drums. You are not invited; he just needs a huge donation for you to pay for it. He needs it right now as well.

DO NOT ACCEPT THE GIFT! Try very hard not to. Tell them you belong to a little know religious sect that does not allow gifts. Also be prepared to tell them your cash is in the hotel for security reasons. This always gets you out of the situation and/or shop. How can you give them any money if you do not have it? If you end up back in the hotel with the gift – keep it. They will ask when you will be back. Just give them a time at the end of the next day and don’t go back. Photo number 2 is gift number 2. I still have it of course.

You could, if you can hold your nerve, tell them you won’t accept the gift but will look at the shop. They may actually have something you want and will negotiate. They use the free gifts because their stalls are slightly out of the way from the busiest shopping areas. Again, you have no money unless you want to buy something. The free gift is worth $1. Gift number 2, if you get one, is worth $5 maximum.

Cape Verde Tourist Traps

Visiting Cape Verde?

Visiting Cape Verde?