Would you care to share which DR towns you feel unsafe in and could you please let DR1'rs know why you "don't want to go there" (to Sos?a) on the strength of 1 post.
Regards
Reidy
- Thread starter Lambada
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Don't Shake Hands With Strangers In Cabarete!
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Would you care to share which DR towns you feel unsafe in and could you please let DR1'rs know why you "don't want to go there" (to Sos?a) on the strength of 1 post.
Regards
Reidy
While I don't deny that this happened, it does seem kind of far-fetched and brings tourist scamming in its most extreme form. As someone who has made 6 trips to the DR in the past 24 months (including 2 to the north coast), i can say that most scams in the DR on tourists are bush-league and 95% of it can be avoided with common sense.
I would never pay that kind of money, even if I was stuck in jail there. Then the embassy has to be notified and get invloved and, while they can't order my release, I can make it known what has happened and me/embassy/relatives can make a lot of noise about the situation, until the release. I agree when you cave in to this corruption, you are contributing the problem. Even if its a few hundred pesos, I wouldn't do it if I know I'm not in the wrong! Be loud, obnoxious , pretend you don't understand a word of Spanish, make it clear they aren't getting any money, and nearly 100% of the time they back off. The victims in this op were pretty gullible IMAO, they should have held their ground. "No te dare ni un centavo". It's the gringo's most useful phrase.
And by all accounts, that young girl was doing a lot more with the locals than just shaking their hand. A lot of drug use all around and a lot of sex was involved. There's no comparison.
For any doubting Thomases (or Cesars 
) the info in the original post can be verified by enquiring of the Embassies of the two nationals concerned. They won't give you case details unless you are family of either of the victims, because of the confidentiality rule, but they do know it happened.
And yes of course there are honest law enforcement officials out there. But if we wait for the culture of the honest law enforcement officer to gain the ascendancy we'll be waiting a very long time, particularly since we are in the pre-Christmas period. The only way to nip this particular one in the bud NOW is for tourists to be streetsmart. However, even the smartest tourist could fall gullible to this scam because it is so blatant & plays on tourists wanting to be friendly & shake hands. I doubt if they would try it on expats (anyone can tell the difference between a tourist and an expat) because we are automatically alert to this sort of thing. So.........they go for the most vulnerable and it is that which makes it particularly nasty. The two victims were guilty of nothing more than shaking hands.
So, get the word out. If it stops becoming financially rewarding they will stop doing it. I would like to see this stopped before it has a serious knock-on effect on the DR's tourism. Course, they will then find another scenario to work and...........we'll find out about that & report it also.
And this does have an effect on all of us. Reduction in tourism=more unemployment=more social problems.
) the info in the original post can be verified by enquiring of the Embassies of the two nationals concerned. They won't give you case details unless you are family of either of the victims, because of the confidentiality rule, but they do know it happened.And yes of course there are honest law enforcement officials out there. But if we wait for the culture of the honest law enforcement officer to gain the ascendancy we'll be waiting a very long time, particularly since we are in the pre-Christmas period. The only way to nip this particular one in the bud NOW is for tourists to be streetsmart. However, even the smartest tourist could fall gullible to this scam because it is so blatant & plays on tourists wanting to be friendly & shake hands. I doubt if they would try it on expats (anyone can tell the difference between a tourist and an expat) because we are automatically alert to this sort of thing. So.........they go for the most vulnerable and it is that which makes it particularly nasty. The two victims were guilty of nothing more than shaking hands.
The very blatancy would lead me to suppose that the police concerned feel they are immune from any comeback, possibly because they are protected by influential people. Just a speculation but this could all be a turf war between different parts of law enforcement to control the drugs industry in that area. Those who live here know that the baton has been passed at least twice in recent years (each time there is a purge, approx every 6 months, & all staff are moved to another area). IF that is what it is, then the tourists are collateral damage in something larger.
So, get the word out. If it stops becoming financially rewarding they will stop doing it. I would like to see this stopped before it has a serious knock-on effect on the DR's tourism. Course, they will then find another scenario to work and...........we'll find out about that & report it also.
And this does have an effect on all of us. Reduction in tourism=more unemployment=more social problems.
I Can't believe you people that live in the DR are intimidated to pay theses scammers
every time they stop you i do not live there and i have been stop about a dozen times and i give them jack when i am stop. I have done nothing wrong so why should i pay them anything. how can they bite the hand that feed that country i am good the economy there that is the way i look at it
every time they stop you i do not live there and i have been stop about a dozen times and i give them jack when i am stop. I have done nothing wrong so why should i pay them anything. how can they bite the hand that feed that country i am good the economy there that is the way i look at it
If anyone has seen the movie "Borat" you would remember the scenes when he first got to NYC. He was trying to make friends by doing a lot of the stuff that scammers do to tourists in the DR.
Going up to them, hugging them, shaking hands and trying to kiss them, you name it-he tried it.
Not one New Yorker fell for it. They all reacted the same way and either got really upset or just ran away from him.
But for some reason, some of you tourists go to the DR and think every dominican wants to be your friend.
If you want to know how to handle bribery, ride around with a dominican and he'll show you how its' done. Sometimes its' easier to just pay a little something and be on your way, and other times there are ways around it.
Watch and learn how the people who live on the island do it and you'll be just fine.
And for those people who self-righteously say they'd rather spend time in a dominican jail, they'll contact their embassies, blah blah blah-yeah, spend some time in one of those holding pens at any police station and then report back to us how it went while you were on your self-righteous crusade to "Fight the Power".
Especially if you get taken in on a Friday afternoon and have to wait until Monday to get through to your embassy. I'd bet the farm any of you would be singing a different tune after, oh, say 5 minutes of being held in captivity.
Going up to them, hugging them, shaking hands and trying to kiss them, you name it-he tried it.
Not one New Yorker fell for it. They all reacted the same way and either got really upset or just ran away from him.
But for some reason, some of you tourists go to the DR and think every dominican wants to be your friend.
If you want to know how to handle bribery, ride around with a dominican and he'll show you how its' done. Sometimes its' easier to just pay a little something and be on your way, and other times there are ways around it.
Watch and learn how the people who live on the island do it and you'll be just fine.
And for those people who self-righteously say they'd rather spend time in a dominican jail, they'll contact their embassies, blah blah blah-yeah, spend some time in one of those holding pens at any police station and then report back to us how it went while you were on your self-righteous crusade to "Fight the Power".
Especially if you get taken in on a Friday afternoon and have to wait until Monday to get through to your embassy. I'd bet the farm any of you would be singing a different tune after, oh, say 5 minutes of being held in captivity.
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What happened to the lessons out parents taught us ? DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS.
I never respond. I am not their friend, cousin, uncle or brother. I someone does not call me by name I do not respond. If stopped my the police NO HAY LO SIENTO.
I never respond. I am not their friend, cousin, uncle or brother. I someone does not call me by name I do not respond. If stopped my the police NO HAY LO SIENTO.
Would you care to share which DR towns you feel unsafe in and could you please let DR1'rs know why you "don't want to go there" (to Sos?a) on the strength of 1 post.
Regards
Reidy
It's not because of 1 post. We sold our property in the D.R.(last April) 4 years after having beeing robbed at gun point at 4 in the afternoon. During those 4 years there was not 1 night that I slept well.
My first time in the D.R. was in 1986. I saw the D.R. changed for the better and I saw it going down and down and down
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Thank you for sharing your experience and please accept my sympathies regarding your robbery however, without wishing to appear crass, crime is endemic everywhere, not just in the DR. I was robbed on my wedding day in a quiet town on a Sunday in the UK in broad daylight (albeit without a gun) by individuals who left my reception early specifically to do this. To then pack up and leave the town would have been, in my eyes, giving in to them; something that is against my nature. I'm sorry that you decided not to stay and stick an index finger up to the robbers, but you can't say that every town in the DR is like that. It's like saying the whole of the UK is crime ridden because of my experience. Perhaps, like me, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time as countless people in history, and no doubt countless people to come, have been (or will be).
Thats life . . .
IMHO
Regards
Reidy
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I see OPETUR (the Association of Tour Operators) are asking for greater police vigilance in tourist areas.
Opetur solicita aPolitur mayor vigilancia en zonas tur?sticas
Given what the original post is about all I can say is...........be careful what you wish for. :cheeky:
Opetur solicita aPolitur mayor vigilancia en zonas tur?sticas
Given what the original post is about all I can say is...........be careful what you wish for. :cheeky:
I know what Lambada saying is true, last time I was there my friend (an expat ) told me about that scam, he told me not to let anyone touch you, and if ever police arrest you and want to search you, ask to see their hands first to make sure they dont put drugs in your pocket.
As for the walking tool , they tried to stop me a couple of times between Puerto Plata and sosua at night, I just never stop.
As for the walking tool , they tried to stop me a couple of times between Puerto Plata and sosua at night, I just never stop.
What if you did see drugs in the police's hands? What would you do, then?
Walking tool? Sort of like a cane or stick?
I wont let them touch me, they might arrest me for assault, but not for drug.
Sorry I meant walking toll booths .
Couldnt have said it better myself and trust me, you will pay to get out.
it aint just the police involved its the whole system of law in the DR. they all take a cut.
very true.
You better have the name and phone number of a powerful politician or police general in your pocket, when living here. Even then, you might still get screwed.
M
Markf128
Guest
I have been to Aruba and it is not as nice as DR. I think is just a matter of time for DR to be recognized as a top quality destination. On regards to the scam, I would take this warning seriously. I have heard of similar scam in Mexico City and in Bogota.
I'm afraid I don't quite get it. I don't live in Cabarete year round, but I have been going there for 2-3 months the last 7 years. I go out to the bars at night, admittedly consuming several more beers than I actually "need", cruise around on my rented moto all around the North Coast (never after I have been drinking, and never after dark...the roads are dangerous enough), and I am ALWAYS by myself. I would think I would fit the prototype of a target for whatever the scam-of-the-day happens to be.
I get offered drugs and women (and children...kind-of depressing...I am hoping it is not a vibe I am giving off) every night, but I politely decline, and keep on walking. I even got into my first fist fight last year late at night at Bambu (a really drunk obnoxious Brit...I think I won...not sure...I didn't see any marks on my face the next morning, and my fist hurt, so that is my story and I am sticking to it), and when the police arrived they just kind-of shushed me away. I can honestly say I have never had a problem with the Police.
I admit I may just have been lucky, and that may change the next time I am there (actually in a couple of weeks), but I am not sure why the police would go through this whole charade of having someone shake your hand, deposit drugs, and arresting you. They could just pick someone out at random, walk up to that person, throw drugs on the ground, say it is theirs, and arrest that person. Whether they put it in your hand, your pocket, or throw it on the ground, you know it is not yours, they know it is not yours, and there are no video cameras there. Bottom line, if you are selected for this type of operation there is nothing you can do about it.
I am not questioning the authenticity of the story (I am not a regular reader of DR1...but from some of the responses it sounds like the poster is a pretty good source), but I would argue there is a much greater chance of being seriously injured in a traffic accident (whether you are in a vehicle or not...you can get hit by a moto while walking on the sidewalk in Cabarete...I have even seen it happen!) than falling victim to this deal. Lets face it, Cabarete (or the DR in general) is not for the risk averse. And to be honest, this sounds pretty sophisticated for the folks I have run into there.
I get offered drugs and women (and children...kind-of depressing...I am hoping it is not a vibe I am giving off) every night, but I politely decline, and keep on walking. I even got into my first fist fight last year late at night at Bambu (a really drunk obnoxious Brit...I think I won...not sure...I didn't see any marks on my face the next morning, and my fist hurt, so that is my story and I am sticking to it), and when the police arrived they just kind-of shushed me away. I can honestly say I have never had a problem with the Police.
I admit I may just have been lucky, and that may change the next time I am there (actually in a couple of weeks), but I am not sure why the police would go through this whole charade of having someone shake your hand, deposit drugs, and arresting you. They could just pick someone out at random, walk up to that person, throw drugs on the ground, say it is theirs, and arrest that person. Whether they put it in your hand, your pocket, or throw it on the ground, you know it is not yours, they know it is not yours, and there are no video cameras there. Bottom line, if you are selected for this type of operation there is nothing you can do about it.
I am not questioning the authenticity of the story (I am not a regular reader of DR1...but from some of the responses it sounds like the poster is a pretty good source), but I would argue there is a much greater chance of being seriously injured in a traffic accident (whether you are in a vehicle or not...you can get hit by a moto while walking on the sidewalk in Cabarete...I have even seen it happen!) than falling victim to this deal. Lets face it, Cabarete (or the DR in general) is not for the risk averse. And to be honest, this sounds pretty sophisticated for the folks I have run into there.
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