Scam City: Asuncion Paraguay Edition

Even though I was only in Paraguay for three days, I saw a lot of scams going on in the capital city of Asuncion. As I’ve mentioned before, Paraguay is the second poorest in South America (Bolivia is the poorest) and poverty is usually associated with crime. Even though Paraguay doesn’t reel in tourism, scams are being preyed on locals.

Introduction to Asuncion Paraguay
American Airlines LAX Flagship First Class Lounge
American Airlines LAX-MIA 757 First Class
The Sights and Sounds of Miami Beach Florida Part 2
Miami International Airport Amerian Airlines Premium Lounge
American Airlines MIA-ASU 757-200 Business Class
Sheraton Asuncion Hotel Review Part 1
Sheraton Asuncion Hotel Review Part 2
The Sights and Sounds of Plaza Uruguaya in Asuncion
The Sights and Sounds of Plaza Juan E O’Leary in Asuncion
The Sights and Sounds of Plaza de La Democracia in Asuncion
The Sights and Sounds of Plaza de La Libertad in Asuncion
The Sights and Sounds of Calle Palma in Asuncion
The Sights and Sounds of Plaza de Los Desaparecidos in Asuncion
The Sights and Sounds of Downtown Asuncion Paraguay
Is Asuncion Paraguay Safe for Tourists?
Scam City: Asuncion Paraguay Edition
The Various Eats in Asuncion Paraguay
Asuncion International Airport Itau Sala VIP Lounge
American Airlines ASU-MIA 757-200 Business Class
American Airlines MIA-LAX 777-200 Business Class

Bus ‘Card’ Scam

I was taking the bus in Asuncion and encountered a boy passing a card to each passenger. Apparently if you keep this card, you will be asked to pay up. Be sure to say “No gracias” or just return the card when it comes to collection time.

Three Card Monte Scam

I encountered a 3 card monte scheme going on in downtown Asuncion.  I wasn’t close enough to get a better picture, but you can clearly see the man in the purple is trying to hustle and his partners in yellow and blue are in on the scam. You can read more about how the 3 card monte scam works via this link.

Boy ‘Watching Over Your Car’ Scam

There’s a scam going on in downtown Asuncion where a little boy requests money from a driver in order to ‘watch over his car’. This happens frequently in order to insure something doesn’t happen to the car. After a quick observation, the little boy watched over the car for a few minutes where he left and preyed on another victim.

‘Car Wash’ Scam

Never allow people on the streets to wash your car windows while you’re waiting on a stoplight. More often than not, the liquids used to wash your car are low quality and could be harmful to your vehicle. I always encounter this while driving in Central America and all I do is wave my index finger left and right, signaling a ‘No.’

Counterfeit Merchandise Scam

There’s a plethora of illegal counterfeit designer merchandise being sold on the streets of Asuncion in Paraguay. You can buy fake Louis Vuitton handbags, Ray Ban sunglasses, and Rolex watches. Don’t believe for a second that any of this merchandise is real.

Prostitution in Asuncion

I didn’t know where to place this, but I do want to bring it up even though it doesn’t have to do anything with scams.

Street prostitution is huge in downtown Asuncion and many of them hang around Plaza Uruguaya.  Prostitution is legal in Paraguay and there’s no dedicated red light district in Asuncion. Some Paraguayan prostitutes will bring you back to their ‘casas’ where the deed is done.

Brothels are also common in Centro Asuncion where they look like ordinary private houses. They’re basically like someone’s house where you can go and have fun, although the drinks are pricey.