6 Tourist Scams in Maputo

You're walking through the Baixa district when a police officer stops you and demands to see your passport.

He flips through it, claims there's a problem with your visa stamp, and pockets the document. To get it back, you'll need to pay a 'fine' of $50-100 USD on the spot. Tripadvisor threads are filled with accounts of officers fabricating immigration violations. One known trick: border officials deliberately skip stamping your passport on entry, so police later 'discover' the missing stamp and demand payment. The entire police unit at Ponta do Ouro was suspended for extorting tourists.

You're withdrawing meticais at a standalone ATM near Maputo Central Market when someone approaches ...

You're withdrawing meticais at a standalone ATM near Maputo Central Market when someone approaches offering to help you 'avoid the local bank fee.' While you're engaged, they scan your card with a pocket skimmer and observe your PIN. Within hours, cloned cards are draining your account at ATMs across the city. Another version: your card gets stuck in a rigged ATM slot, and a helpful bystander offers advice while a hidden camera captures your PIN. Credit card cloning at smaller hotels and restaurants outside central Maputo is also well-documented.

Two men in plain clothes or partial uniforms approach you along the Avenida Marginal, flash badges ...

Two men in plain clothes or partial uniforms approach you along the Avenida Marginal, flash badges quickly, and demand to search your bag for 'cocaine.' They rummage through your belongings and discover 'suspicious powder' -- which they planted. Now you face arrest unless you pay a hefty fine on the spot, typically $100-200 USD. Travel forums document this happening regularly to tourists walking alone along Maputo's beachfront. Real police don't conduct random drug searches on tourists and always wear full uniforms.

You're walking back from a restaurant on Avenida 24 de Julho, checking your phone for directions.

A figure on foot or a passing moto rider snatches it from your hand and vanishes into the dark streets. Maputo's pedestrian snatch-and-run crimes spike after sunset, particularly in Baixa and near popular nightlife spots. The UK government advises avoiding walking alone after dark entirely, even in tourist areas. Victims who resist have been physically assaulted.

You arrive at the central market area and a man offers to exchange your South African Rand or US ...

You arrive at the central market area and a man offers to exchange your South African Rand or US dollars for meticais at a rate better than the banks. He counts out a thick stack of notes with practiced speed. You take the wad and walk away, only to discover back at your hotel that he short-changed you by 30-40% -- palming notes during the rapid count or padding the stack with lower denomination bills in the middle. Border crossings from South Africa are particularly notorious for this scam.

You cross into Mozambique at the Lebombo border and need meticais.

Street money changers immediately surround you offering favorable rates. You agree to exchange your rand, but through sleight of hand — folding bills, miscounting, or switching stacks — you receive significantly less than agreed. A Reddit user on r/askSouthAfrica warned emphatically: 'DO NOT trade for mets at the border, get it from an ATM in Moz. You WILL be scammed.' Even if the count appears correct, counterfeit meticais notes are common in the stacks provided by border changers.