A Travel Warning for Visitors to Bolivia: Beware the Fake Tourist Police

Given how many foreign visitors to Bolivia read this Blog, I think it is important to offer the following travel warning. I also know two people personally who have fallen victim to this scam recently. Beware of the fake “tourist police”.

Below is a portion of a recent US State Department travel advisory. The gist is this. In both La Paz and Cochabamba there is a scam underway in which would-be robbers pretend to be “tourist police” to get unsuspecting visitors into a car and take them to fake police stations where they can be robbed. In virtually every case people caught in this trap are released safely. However, earlier this year, an Austrian couple was not so fortunate and was killed.

To be clear, Bolivia is a friendly place and generally among the safest countries you can travel in Latin America. But, beware, if someone approaches you on the street claiming to be tourist police – don’t fall for it. In Cochabamba there are two tourist policemen for the whole city and they never leave their office (apparently they mainly take reports about fake tourist police).

If it happens to you, just do what I did years ago when they approached me. Just turn and walk away (okay, well I also yelled "F@#% You" at them too, but that was my call). Do not get in the car with them.

State Department Travel Warning

According to press reports, criminals using the “false police” method focus on foreigners in areas frequented by tourists including bus terminals and tourist markets such as Sagarnaga Street in La Paz. The perpetrators will identify a potential victim and have an accomplice typically driving a white taxi offer taxi services to the potential victim. A few blocks after the potential victim boards the taxi another accomplice, pretending to be a recently arrived tourist, boards the taxi with the potential victim. With all the accomplices then in place, the “false police” stop the taxi, “search” the passengers, and rob the victim. As part of this scam, the false police may take the victim to a “false police” station. Read the full warning here.