Morocco Travel Scams

In Moroccan souks like those in Fez or Marrakech, vendors invite tourists for free mint tea in their shops, then use high-pressure sales tactics to sell overpriced handmade carpets, often claiming they are Berber antiques. Prices start at 2000 MAD (about 200 USD) but can inflate to 10000 MAD through fabricated stories of rarity, with tourists feeling obligated to buy after the gesture of hospitality.

In public squares and markets across Morocco, such as Djemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech, henna artists approach tourists, especially women, offering quick designs with natural black henna, but use substandard or chemical-laden paste that can cause skin irritation. They demand 200-500 MAD afterward, far above the fair 50-100 MAD rate, and may create a scene if payment is refused.

Along roadsides in rural areas like the Agadir region, sellers offer 'pure' argan oil as a local specialty, but it's often diluted with cheaper oils or entirely fake, sold in unlabeled bottles for 100-300 MAD per liter, when genuine certified oil from cooperatives costs around 150 MAD and has a verifiable seal.

In Rabat's Oudayas Kasbah and surrounding medina alleys, vendors lure tourists into spice shops with free samples of saffron or cumin, then insist on sales of overpriced blends, claiming they are rare Moroccan varieties, charging up to 500 MAD for items worth 100 MAD, exploiting the area's historical charm.

In Marrakech's Djemaa el-Fnaa square and surrounding medina lanes, unlicensed guides approach tourists offering 'free' tours of sites like the Koutoubia Mosque, then demand 300-600 MAD at the end, leading victims to commission-based shops where they push overpriced goods, such as leather goods marked up to 1000 MAD.

At Djemaa el-Fnaa, performers with cobras insist tourists take photos or touch snakes for 'free,' then demand 100-200 MAD, using intimidation or crowds to enforce payment, often in the evening when the square is most chaotic.

In Casablanca's streets near the Hassan II Mosque and the port, taxi drivers manipulate meters to run faster or refuse to use them, quoting fixed fares like 150 MAD for a 50 MAD ride to the city center, then arguing over currency exchange rates.