What scams should I watch out for in Istanbul?
The shoe-shine drop is the oldest trick in the city: a shoeshine man "accidentally" drops a brush near you, you pick it up, and suddenly you owe him for a full shine and a long conversation about his cousin in New Jersey. Walk past it. The second major one runs around Taksim and Istiklal, where friendly locals invite solo male travelers to a bar or club they "know," which turns out to charge 200 to 500 euros for a round of drinks, with large men positioned near the door. If a stranger approaches you unprompted with excessive friendliness and a specific venue recommendation, decline. Taxi overcharging is systematic from the airport: insist the meter runs from the start, or use the BiTaksi app or an Uber equivalent to lock in a price. In the Grand Bazaar, quoted prices are theater, never the real price, but that is negotiation, not fraud. Counterfeit goods sold as authentic are common around Sultanahmet; if someone tells you a carpet or bracelet is a genuine antique at a street stall, it is not.
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