6 Tourist Scams in Dhaka

You flag down a green CNG auto-rickshaw in Gulshan for a ride to Dhanmondi.

The driver agrees to use the meter — a good sign. But the meter ticks far faster than it should, adding 50-100 BDT per kilometer on rides that should cost 20-50 BDT per km. A Kawran Bazar to TSC ride should be about 40 taka by the meter, but passengers report being charged 150 taka. The government has threatened fines of 50,000 BDT for meter tampering, but enforcement is nearly nonexistent. Alternatively, drivers refuse the meter entirely and quote a flat rate of 300 BDT for a ride worth 100.

You step out of arrivals at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and immediately a man grabs your luggage cart.

He is not in uniform and you did not ask for help, but he is already walking briskly toward the exit with your bags. Outside, he demands 500-1,000 BDT for carrying your bags twenty meters. If you protest, a second porter appears to back him up. These self-appointed porters work in teams, targeting visibly foreign arrivals with large luggage. Travelers on forums describe being physically blocked from their own bags until they pay.

You arrive at Gabtoli Bus Terminal to buy a ticket to Cox's Bazar.

Before you can find the official counter, a tout approaches offering to 'help' you get a ticket. He claims seats are almost sold out and charges you 1,500 BDT for a ticket that costs 800 BDT at the counter. Sometimes the ticket is real but overpriced; sometimes it is for a cancelled departure or a lower-class seat than promised. Travelers on forums report being sold tickets for buses that do not exist, discovering the fraud only when no vehicle arrives at the designated bay.

You are shopping at New Market for leather goods and find a beautiful bag for 2,000 BDT.

You inspect it, agree on the price, and the vendor takes it to 'pack it properly' in a back room. When you open the bag at your hotel, it is a completely different item — lower quality leather, wrong color, or visibly defective. The vendor swapped your chosen item during wrapping. This bait-and-switch is especially common with clothing, leather goods, and handicrafts where items look similar. Travelers on Quora and forums specifically warn about this technique at Dhaka's popular shopping markets.

You hire a guide at Sadarghat to show you around Old Dhaka for an agreed 1,500 BDT for a half-day.

Three hours in, the guide suddenly announces that entry fees, a boat ride, and lunch are 'extra charges' not included in the original price — another 3,000 BDT. When you protest, he becomes upset and threatens to abandon you in an unfamiliar neighborhood. This escalation tactic works because tourists feel vulnerable in crowded, disorienting areas like the alleys of Old Dhaka. Travel forums report this pattern repeatedly with freelance guides near Sadarghat and Lalbagh Fort.

You find a hotel in Gulshan listed on Facebook Marketplace at an unbeatable rate —

2,000 BDT per night for a room that normally costs 5,000. The listing has professional photos and positive comments. You send an advance payment of 4,000 BDT via bKash mobile money. On arrival in Dhaka, the hotel has no record of your booking. The Facebook page has been deleted. The bKash transaction is irreversible. Travelers report that these scammers create new pages frequently, using stolen photos from real hotels. The scam spikes during peak travel seasons when legitimate hotels fill up.