Top tourist traps around the world
By Echo Montgomery Garrett

(MONEY Magazine) – Knowing the local crime scene can help you avoid trouble. Our survey of security specialists and municipal police agencies turned up this up-to-date advisory: CANCUN, MEXICO. Street theft is common. Don't resist a threat; thieves won't hesitate to use violence. KINGSTON, JAMAICA. Exchange money only at authorized banks and offices. The black-market exchanger on the street is likely to be laundering illegal money. Young boys offer their service as low-priced guides, but they plan to rob you. Rapes have also been reported. RIO DE JANEIRO. Unless you are in a group, stay clear of the Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, especially during twilight hours. Muggings are out of control. Don't wear even fake jewelry; kids don't necessarily know the difference. HONG KONG. Credit-card fraud is rampant. Merchants make duplicate credit-card slips -- and then overcharge you. They also substitute inferior goods while you're not looking. Picking pockets is common too. In an emergency, you can call the Royal Police (dial 999; it's free). EUROPE. Small, owner-run shops throughout Europe have been adding zeros to credit slips to bump up prices. Keep copies. In Paris, be on red alert near the American embassy and the American Express office. Gangs of gypsy kids waving newspapers will steal your valuables in an instant. MOSCOW. The State Department advises travelers to go everywhere in pairs, even into rest rooms. Holdups by taxi drivers are common. Dress inconspicuously. Best tip: Buy local shoes -- if you can find them. Foreign shoes make you a target. Also, get medical evacuation insurance; health care there is deplorable. LOS ANGELES. Smash-and-grab thieves break your car window and run off with any visible valuables -- particularly around the beach areas. LAS VEGAS. Thieves drop a handful of quarters near a woman who has left her purse on or under a chair. When she bends to pick up the coins, the crook grabs her bag. Says Police Sgt. Jimmie Hanley: ''One woman lost 35 credit cards and $60,000 in cash when she scooped up $1.50 in change.'' MIAMI. Carjackers pull alongside your car and yell, ''Fire!'' says Police Detective Lissette Williams. ''Don't stop unless you see smoke.'' NEW YORK CITY. Petty theft is constant, especially along Fifth Avenue in midtown, from Rockefeller Center to the Trump Tower. Says Detective Joseph McConville: ''Watch out for people trying to distract you with loud arguments, bumping into you or squirting ketchup on your clothes. On subways, a confederate will board and yell, 'There's a pickpocket on the train.' Everybody grabs the place they've hidden money. Then the pickpocket works the crowd.'' -- E.M.G.