The short version: Most of the trouble foreigners run into in Colombia is not random violence. It is a con or an opportunistic theft that you handed someone by being careless, distracted, or flashy. Colombians have one phrase that covers avoiding all of it: no dar papaya. Learn the common scams below, keep your guard up in the few situations that actually matter, and you will almost certainly be fine.
If you spend any real time in Colombia, you will hear three words over and over. A friend says them before you head out the door. A taxi driver says them when you mention where you are staying. No dar papaya. It is the most useful piece of safety advice anyone will give you here, and once it clicks, you move around the country a lot more comfortably. I have lived in Medellín since 2019, and I still think it is the single best idea a new arrival can absorb.
This guide is the practical version: the specific scams that target foreigners in Medellín and the rest of Colombia, how each one works, and the simple habit that defeats it.
Table of Contents
What “No Dar Papaya” Means
Translated literally, no dar papaya is “don’t give papaya.” Leave a ripe papaya sitting out in the open and someone will help themselves. So don’t be the papaya. Don’t hand people an easy opportunity.
In practice it means not exposing yourself to a risk you could have skipped. A phone left face-up on a bar table that then vanishes. A fat wallet pulled out on the street. An expensive watch on display. A stranger told exactly where you are staying and for how long. A Colombian friend would call all of that dando papaya, giving papaya.
Here is the honest catch, because it bothers a lot of foreigners and it should be said plainly. To an outsider, “no dar papaya” can sound like victim-blaming, as if getting robbed is your fault for owning a phone. It is not meant that way, and nobody here thinks theft is acceptable. The phrase is about the one variable you actually control. You are not going to fix Colombia’s inequality or its street crime on your two-week trip. You can decide not to be the easiest target on the block. That is the whole idea.
The Scams That Can Actually Hurt You
Start with the short list that is about your safety, not just your wallet.
Spiked drinks and dating-app setups. This is the most dangerous scam in the country right now, and it has killed foreign visitors. Someone you meet, very often on a dating app like Tinder, Bumble, or Grindr, drugs you, usually with a sedative or scopolamine (known locally as burundanga) slipped into a drink, then robs you blind, sometimes emptying your bank accounts at an ATM while you are out of it. It happens most in Medellín, Cartagena, and Bogotá, the cities foreigners frequent. The defense is simple and not optional: meet a first date in a public place, never go to a stranger’s apartment or invite them to yours, never leave your drink unattended, and tell a friend where you are and who you are meeting. There is a fuller breakdown in the Medellín safety guide.
El paseo millonario, the “millionaire’s ride.” You flag a random street taxi late at night after a few drinks. A block later, two accomplices climb in, and the night becomes a tour of ATMs where you withdraw your daily limit at every stop. It is the single reason I never hail an unknown taxi off the street late at night. Use a tracked ride-hailing app instead, so there is a record of the car, the driver, and the route.
Fake police. This one is everywhere, and it works because the act is convincing. A clean-cut man in plain clothes stops you, says he is a police officer, and explains there is a counterfeiting investigation, so he needs to inspect your cash and your passport. An accomplice often strolls past and plays along to sell it. Then your money gets switched, or you are told your bills are fake and handed a “receipt” to claim real money at a station that does not exist. Two things to remember: real Colombian police do not inspect tourists’ cash on the street, and you are never obliged to hand your wallet or passport to someone in plain clothes. Ask for a uniformed officer, offer to walk to the nearest station, or call 123. The scam falls apart the moment you stop cooperating.
The Money Scams
These will not hurt you. They are after your cash, and they are common.
Taxi tricks. Medellín is better than Cartagena here, because city taxis are metered, there is an official rate, and most drivers are honest. The usual move on a foreigner is the long way round, adding distance and time when you do not know the city well enough to notice. Less often, a driver claims the meter is broken and quotes a tourist price. Run the route on offline maps so you can see if you are being looped around, agree a price before you get in if there is no meter, and for the airport especially, know the fixed fare in advance (see the airport guide). The cleanest fix for all of it is Uber, DiDi, Cabify, or inDrive, where the price and route are set before you start.
The card-terminal swap. A driver or a small vendor tells you that you have to pay by card, takes your card, asks for your PIN, and shows you a “declined” screen. Your card has now been cloned, and your PIN went with it. Keep your card in sight, type your own PIN yourself, never let anyone walk off with it, and treat any “the machine failed, try again” routine with suspicion.
Counterfeit change and the note switch. Fake Colombian bills turn up as change, especially in taxis, in markets, and at night, and especially if you pay a small fare with a big 50,000 peso note. A sharper version targets people fresh off the plane: a driver or shopkeeper asks for smaller notes, you do not have any, so their “friend” kindly switches your big note for change, except the change is counterfeit. Carry small bills, break large notes inside banks or established shops rather than with strangers, and learn what real Colombian notes feel like, since they have a distinct texture and a clear watermark.
ATMs and street money changers. Use ATMs inside banks or malls, never the standalone machines on the street, cover the keypad, and take out only what you need. Skip the men on the street offering to change dollars, who trade in bad rates, sleight of hand, and fake notes. Use a casa de cambio or a bank.
The Street Scams
The motorcycle snatch. A passenger on a passing motorbike grabs a phone or a bag and is gone before you react. It is why locals do not stand at the curb texting, and why you will sometimes see a taxi driver roll the window up at a red light. Keep your phone in your pocket on the street, especially near traffic, and keep bags on the wall side of the sidewalk.
Distraction theft. This is a whole family of tricks with the same shape: one person creates a distraction while another lifts your things. A drink or a splash of sauce “accidentally” spilled on your clothes, followed by a helpful stranger dabbing you down. A staged argument or a street performance that pulls in a crowd. A flyer shoved into your hands. The “you broke my camera” routine, where someone pushes a phone at you, you instinctively grab it, and they demand payment for the damage. The rule is boring and it works: when something suddenly grabs your attention in a busy spot, your first move is to put a hand on your own valuables, not to help.
The Scams That Reach You Online
Virtual kidnapping. A phone call claims a relative has been taken and demands an immediate transfer, sometimes with someone screaming in the background for effect. Nobody has actually been kidnapped. Hang up, and check on the person directly before you do anything at all.
Rental and deposit scams. This one catches expats and long-stay visitors. A beautiful apartment is listed below market, the “owner” cannot meet because they are abroad, and they just need the deposit wired to hold it. The apartment does not exist. Never pay a deposit before you have seen a place in person or booked through a verified platform, and be wary of anyone pushing you off the official channel. When you are sorting out where to stay, stick to known platforms and established local agencies.
Fake fixers and “cursed money.” Two Colombian classics worth knowing. The first is the immigration or visa “fixer” who takes a fee to handle paperwork they have no power over, then disappears. The second is the esoteric scam, where a fortune-teller or healer convinces a mark that their money is cursed and must be handed over to be “cleansed,” after which it is simply gone. If a fix for a bureaucratic problem feels too easy, or a stranger starts talking about your luck and your cash in the same breath, walk away.
The “Interested Girlfriend” and Sex-Tourism Traps
Medellín’s reputation has pulled in a certain kind of visitor, and a matching set of scams has grown up around it. The classic is the friendly, attractive new companion who shows you a great time and then empties your wallet, or whose “brother” turns up to extort you. There are also setups built specifically to blackmail foreign men with threats of serious legal trouble. I cover the city’s crime honestly across my work, and this is the part where the line between a scam, a robbery, and a real crime gets thin. If a connection happens unusually fast, and money or privacy keeps entering the picture, that is the papaya talking.
If You Get Caught Out
If something does happen, file a police report, the denuncia, even when you do not expect anything to be recovered. You will need it for an insurance claim, to cancel a stolen phone with your carrier, or to replace a passport at your embassy. Call your bank straight away to freeze your cards. And if you are being robbed in person, do not fight back. Hand it over. A phone is replaceable and you are not. There is more on reporting and the useful emergency numbers in the safety guide.
The One Rule Underneath All of It
Strip away the specifics and every scam here runs on the same fuel: a target who is distracted, trusting too fast, or showing something worth taking. You do not need to be paranoid, and you should not let any of this keep you from enjoying one of the most welcoming countries in the region. You just need to not be the papaya. Pay attention, keep your valuables boring and out of sight, slow down when a stranger or a situation is moving fast, and you take almost all of it off the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “no dar papaya” mean? Literally, “don’t give papaya.” It means don’t make yourself an easy target by being careless, flashy, or distracted. It is the core safety mindset across Colombia.
Is it safe to use dating apps in Medellín? Yes, with real caution. The main danger is being drugged and robbed by someone you meet, so always meet first dates in public, never go somewhere private with a stranger early on, and keep an eye on your drink.
Are taxis safe in Medellín? Mostly. City taxis are metered and most drivers are honest. The usual scams are taking the long way and, occasionally, counterfeit change. Ride-hailing apps remove most of the risk by fixing the price and route up front.
What is the fake police scam in Colombia? Someone in plain clothes claims to be police and asks to “inspect” your cash or passport for a counterfeiting case, then switches or pockets your money. Real police do not do this on the street. Decline, and ask to go to a station.
What should I do if I get scammed or robbed? File a denuncia with the police, freeze your cards, and report a stolen phone to your carrier. If you are robbed in person, do not resist.
