Fraud in Georgia. 16 popular schemes to cheat foreign tourists in Tbilisi.

Pseudo Baby

A common type of scam is to introduce yourself in social networks as a young beautiful girl who wants to meet you. Most often a woman writes to a guy in a general chat room, then communication moves to personal messages, where she talks about failures in her personal life and a desire to distract herself in pleasant company. Young people like the photos on the girl's page on the Internet, and they, without thinking about the undesirable consequences, agree to spend time together. Why not watch a movie or a play at the theater?

The essence of the deception is that the woman sends a phishing link, where you can plausibly choose seats and see the abstract of the film. A couple of minutes later, after entering the data of the bank card, all the funds are deducted from the account.

How to avoid this situation? Ask the girl to switch to a live video call. In case of a strict refusal, it is better to think about the intentions of your companion and be more careful when buying tickets, for example, buy them yourself with a preliminary check of the official website of the cinema or theater.

PseudoHelp

The second option became especially popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those wishing to travel to Georgia during the coronavirus period contacted people who offered assistance in crossing the Russian-Georgian border. Previously, to pass through the Upper Lars border crossing point, they needed grounds to stay in the country: documents for medical treatment or education, which the scammers gladly provided. After paying for the services of the "helpers," they stopped contacting their clients.

And the victims could not complain to the law enforcement authorities, since such actions of creating illegal documents are illegal, and their payment is understood by the government as complicity in fraud. What is the right way to proceed? Initially, it is necessary to read the laws of Georgia in the field of migration policy and do not believe the positive reviews of "helpers".

Pseudo-Realtors

Today, the real estate market in Georgia is actively developing and many foreigners intend to buy and rent housing in the country. Chats with false positive recommendations about realtors, who allegedly helped many tenants, are widespread in the virtual space. In the correspondence, the scammer claims that he will look for housing that meets the specified characteristics. The realtor is sure to convince you that it will be very difficult to find an apartment for your budget because of the high demand.

After a few days, he finds a place, but you need to make an advance payment to confirm the seriousness of the tenant's intentions. If you don't pay the $50 before you view the property, other clients will rent the apartment. This method of scam works well for foreigners.

Also do not pay for access to the real estate database. Pseudo realtors create a service with apartments and private houses, which have already been rented or made up by deceivers. Pay attention to the terms of the contract and the duties of the realtor, if he will be remunerated.

Pseudo-Bankers

A classic and popular method of fraud that results in the withdrawal of funds from a bank card. "Representatives of a Georgian bank" call a private client of the organization, in the conversation they ask for the details of the bank card, passport and other information. Then a message with a code is sent to the phone, the victim calls the combination of digits, and the money is withdrawn from the account.

In this case, it is important to understand that there are a lot of services for number forgery. If there are problems with the bank account, it is better to call the bank yourself by the phone number listed on the official website of the institution. Do not give the pin number, card number, code word and other data in a telephone conversation!

Pseudo-Drivers

Need to urgently transport documents, personal belongings, or a suitcase to another city? Telegram channels have private drivers who are ready to pick up a parcel and deliver it to the specified address for a small fee. Due to the positive recommendations, the requirement to make an advance payment does not seem fraudulent, so you transfer 50 GEL in the hope of the conscientiousness of the driver.

Why don't you have to pay in advance, even if the driver demands an upfront payment? You can draw up a contract for the clear fulfillment of the agreements, and better to transfer money upon delivery of the luggage.

Pseudo-Pet Lovers.

Moving to Georgia with pets takes a lot of time and effort. It is easier and faster to use the services of agencies that offer transportation of pets to another country and city. A distinctive feature of scammers is the requirement to pay for the transportation of the pet in advance. In such a situation it is necessary to draw up a contract with the company, where the payment for the services is clearly spelled out on the fact of fulfillment of obligations.

Another option for making money from animals is the manipulation of the feelings of emotional people. It is easy enough to post a post on social networks with requests to take the cat to a rehoming, because the owner does not have enough money to feed the pet. How do you not turn down monetary help in a difficult life situation? In fact, this is one of the many variants of fraud.

PseudoSeller

Online services with the sale of second-hand items, clothes, appliances and other goods operate in Georgia. Scammers on such sites operate in the following way: they sell non-existent expensive items with a description of a tragic story from the owner. Despite the fact that you are buying from a trustworthy site with a high rating, sellers can send you a phishing link in your personal messages. Its principle is described in the first method.

What to do in this situation?

First, assess the real cost of the purchase, expensive high quality goods are unlikely to sell for a cheap price.

Secondly, demand from the buyer the initial delivery of the purchase and the subsequent payment.

Thirdly, carefully check the site with payment and do not enter bank card details on the service of concern.

PseudoMailers

Do you want to order goods with delivery through the post office? Be especially careful when paying for services. The official website of the post office is easy to forge, so phishers send a phishing link to the buyer. A few minutes after you enter your card number and security code, the money is written off.

How to protect yourself? Pay maximum attention to the details: the design of the official online postal service, the logo, and other nuances which are not present at the phishing site. If you intend to pay for delivery of the purchase, make the payment yourself without using the seller's link.

PseudoDoctor

Advertisements for foreign and Georgian doctors with years of experience in the medical field sometimes appear in the online expat community in Georgia. A free consultation with unscrupulous private specialists will not contain useful information, but the doctor may recommend taking dietary supplements and vitamins. Often the doctor himself sells dietary supplements, and this is the basis of his income. It is worth remembering that dietary supplements are not medicines, so they can not help to solve serious health problems.

PseudoOfficer of Housing and Communal Services

Persistently offer to clean the entryway or treat your apartment for insects? Do not agree to such offers, because such services are not provided by the housing and communal services. Most likely the scammers are trying to get money without fulfilling their obligations. If scammers persistently demand to pay for the service on the basis that the other tenants have already paid, it is best to walk away from the conversation as quickly as possible.

Pseudo-Victims

At the moment there are a huge number of organizations operating in Georgia to collect monetary aid for those affected by the military conflict in Ukraine. In this connection, fraudulent groups based on real stories of Ukrainians have appeared. Thus, fraudsters collect funds through fake online services under the guise of humanitarian aid. If you really want to help, then use reliable sites or personal acquaintances.

Pseudo-Owners

This is another method of fraud in the Georgian real estate market. It is dangerous for a tenant to rent an apartment without a contract. There is a high probability of renting an apartment from a person who illegally poses as a real estate owner. Such a fraud is detected at check-in, because the scammer rents the apartment to several tenants at once.

Another option is to rent an apartment from a real owner, who suddenly raises the rent price from $500 to $700. At the same time a rent deposit was paid, which the owner refuses to return and insists on eviction. What to do? If you don't sign a lease, secure yourself with video footage, photos, and other evidence that has rental agreements on it.

PseudoResale

Some local stores do not have price tags on merchandise. Employees calculate the cost for each customer individually based on their personal attitude toward the appearance of the customer. The prices of products in such stalls are unreasonably inflated, it is better to buy souvenirs, food and other products in supermarkets, shopping centers and the market.

Pseudo-Excursors

A tourist walk around Tbilisi with a tour guide can turn into trouble. Tour guides do not take responsibility for the impression and emotions of their clients, so a rich and informative tour will turn out to be a long hike in a large group without interesting stories. Usually unscrupulous tour guides are advertised in social networks, they often change mobile numbers and accounts.

Private cab drivers in Georgia like to offer tours to tourists. Sometimes you can meet drivers who know the sights and history of the country, but often there are scammers who want to make more money on foreigners. Do not rely on promises of an exciting trip.

PseudoExperts

Especially carefully prepare for extreme entertainment in nature: paragliding, rafting on a mountain river, trekking and mountain climbing. It is worth finding out in advance reliable and up-to-date information about the instructors accompanying tourists: experience, certificates, recommendations and reviews. Much less often a non-professional trainer can be found at a ski resort. In such a situation, it is recommended to use more expensive services from specialized instructors.

Pseudoautosellers

A large flow of cars from foreign countries leads to the appearance of swindlers. They cheat foreigners with the help of fake restoration, substitution of characteristics and data of the car. It is more profitable and reliable to find a specialist who will help with the purchase of a car in the U.S., Japan and other countries, registration of documents and transportation to Georgia.