Book a taxi by phone or use an online ordering service and you should be given a price. Taxi scams are also common but can easily be avoided. When we venture into Kiev in the afternoon we’ll inevitably see at least one aging foreigner being dragged around the city’s boutiques by a beautiful young girl and their ‘interpreter’. Shopping extravaganzas and visits to expensive restaurants are the usual methods of extracting cash. More often than not though, these women will wait until the foreign man is in Ukraine and is most susceptible to their charms. The woman will come up a sob story about a sick child, dying mother, or how she needs money for a visa and plane ticket to visit her new love. The scams can start before the foreigner even arrives in the city.
CRAZY BOBS COPS N ROBBERS MAP PROFESSIONAL
In most cases these so-called relationships usually begin online, through a dating agency website or social network.Īlthough some of these women are genuinely looking for love, many are simply professional daters exploiting the desperation and generosity of these foreigners.
Many foreign men are tempted to Kiev by the prospect of a relationship with a young and beautiful Ukrainian woman. Marriage and dating scams are quite relatively common. Ukrainian police aren’t perfect but certainly wouldn’t tolerate bogus police operating on their patch. Anybody that has actually visited the city will know that there are far too many real police in such places. But quite frankly, the idea of large numbers of fake police frequenting Kiev’s tourist hotspots is preposterous. At some point during the inspection he secretly pockets some cash, before handing it back and informing the tourist he is innocent and can go on his way. A bogus policeman then appears and demands to see the tourist’s wallet. The scammer appears grateful but, after counting the money in his wallet, announces that some of his cash as missing. The tourist, being good-natured of course, picks up the wallet and returns it to the scammer. Supposedly the scammer walks ahead of the tourist and drops his wallet. The most common scam quoted is the wallet scam. We strongly suspect that the risk is blown out of proportion by other websites regurgitating content from elsewhere to fill their pages and appear authoritative.Ĭheck out our guide to Andrew's Descent - Kiev's most interesting street
In over 10 years of visiting and living in Kiev we have never been the victims of a street scam and have never met anybody who has actually fallen prey to such a crime. We personally doubt whether they are as widespread as made out. Street scams are frequently reported by other websites and government agencies as being fairly commonplace in Kiev. In our personal experience we have never been asked to pay a bribe when no traffic offence has been committed. It is completely possible in Ukraine to bribe the police and avoid a drink driving or other serious motoring conviction.
CRAZY BOBS COPS N ROBBERS MAP DRIVERS
The families of those killed in Ukraine by drunk or dangerous drivers would disagree. Many drivers would argue that this is a better system, particularly those from countries such as the UK where fines are heavy and issued automatically. Paying the bribe is cheaper than the official fine and less hassle. If you have committed an offence they will usually give you the option of going down the official route or paying a bribe and going on your way. They routinely stop vehicles to solicit bribes. They are notoriously corrupt, though you should only come into contact with them if you are driving. The traffic police (DAI) are a different story. Having said that, official guidance from both the US and British embassies states that visitors should carry their passports with them at all times and keep copies in case of loss or theft. We personally consider it much better to leave our passports in a safe place than to routinely carry it in person and risk losing them. We have never been stopped in the street by the police and very rarely see others being stopped and having their documents checked. Although the police in Kiev are no angels, they don’t, unlike their counterparts in Moscow, routinely pester foreigners for documents and bribes. Under Ukrainian law you are supposed to carry your passport with you at all times.
There are, however, reports of racist attacks on those of African and Middle Eastern appearance. Organized crime does exist, but unless you’re coming to Kiev to open a chain of casinos the mafias are extremely unlikely to take an interest in you.Ĭrimes perpetrated against visitors are generally low level.Īcts of mindless drunken violence such as those which commonly occur in British cities are rare. In general, Kiev is as safe as most Western European countries.
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