The BEST episodes of Scam City
Every episode of Scam City ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Scam City!
Scam City is a show which started airing on Travel + Escape in June 2012 which claims to cross the globe visiting ten of the world’s most popular cities as they expose the darker side of tourism. The host, Conor Woodman, will meet with these questionable characters ranging from unethical cab drivers to aggressive pimps as he witnesses and experiences the all too common travel experience of parting with personal property and money. The show aims to expose the local adaptations of common scams - from pick pockets, expensive cab fares, to bars luring people in with adult entertainment at a high cost.
#3 - Rio De Janeiro
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/31/2012
Conor Woodman is in Rio, one of the sexiest cities in the world and never more so than at Carnival time. Millions of tourists descend on the city for the biggest party on the planet. And with so many tourists out reveling on the streets it’s party time for Rio’s scammers too.
#4 - Barcelona
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/7/2012
Conor Woodman visits the pick-pocket capital Barcelona, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Whether it’s a day at the beach or an evening at the football or just a walk down the Ramblas enjoying the night life, this city has so much to offer. But look out this town has a darker secret, it’s home to one of the most skilled set and creative con men and thieves in the world; they’ll take your money off you day or night. Conor sets out to see exactly who these people are, how they operate and who knows he may even become part of the gang.
#5 - Delhi
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/21/2012
Nobody can call themselves a true world traveller until they’ve survived Delhi. For backpackers going to Delhi is like a rite of passage. But ask anyone and they’ll tell you, before you can find yourself, first you have to lose yourself... just be sure to watch out for all those quack doctors who will prescribe you anything and everything in order to line their pockets with your cash. With the help of secret cameras the crew follow Conor’s every move while he and George the fixer try to unearth some of the deadly scams that Delhi has to offer.
#6 - Hong Kong
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/6/2014
Hong Kong, a place where nothing is what it seems and Conor’s journey takes him from the heart of Hong Kong island to the border with Mainland China. Conor goes shopping for antiques and is sold an expensive jug from the Ming dynasty, only to find out that it wasn’t exactly what he thought it was.
Watch Now:Amazon
#7 - Jerusalem
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/18/2013
Conor Woodman discovers the holy city of Jerusalem, where scam artists have been perfecting their craft for thousands of years. From fake holy men at the Western Wall, to pickpockets on the Mount of Olives, Conor uncovers the dark truth about the sacred sites of the holy city. In the city’s souvenir markets and upscale antiquities shops, artifacts from Jesus’ time are being sold to tourists eager to bring home a piece of the holy land. Fakes abound, and unscrupulous shop owners will say anything to make a sale. It’s ‘buyer beware’ in the holy city - where being a believer can be a pricey affair.
Watch Now:Amazon
#8 - Prague
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/24/2012
As day turns to night, Prague’s scammers emerge readying themselves for the scores of tourists enjoying the cities nightlife and who are completely unaware they’ve been marked by those who disguise themselves as beautiful girls, harmless hawkers and friendly taxi drivers.
#10 - Bangkok
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/13/2012
Host Conor Woodman returns to Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok, the one of the hottest cities on earth; and land of the three-wheeled auto rickshaws also know as Tuk-tuks. It has been 15 years since his last visit, this time to see if the gem scam he first encountered there is still being run – and to discover another one.
#11 - Buenos Aires
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/17/2012
Buenos Aires is a fast moving city bringing in around 10 million tourists annually. But like the Tango with its themes of deception and trickery of love, Conor Woodman discovers that many visitors leave Buenos Aires with broken hearts, after being scammed by pickpockets, con-artists, and grafters. Conor sets out to discover that the most common scams involving tourists are pick pocketing, clip joints, vice girls, taxi scams and hotel scams. But prevalent throughout the whole of the city and running out of control is Buenos Aries’ problem with counterfeit money…
#12 - Las Vegas
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/12/2012
In Vegas, host Conor Woodman ventures into the shadows to discover there’s a lot more to the tourist industry than meets the eye. In fact it’s a multi-layered hustle that takes Conor on a journey from the swankiest casinos and glamorous nightclubs to beneath the Strip itself, where tunnel dwellers live in the storm drains of Las Vegas, facing constant danger from rising waters. From them, Conor discovers the realities of life in “Sin City”, away from the glittering façade.
#14 - Marrakech
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/20/2012
Conor Woodman enters into the labyrinthine city of Marrakech, where nothing is what it seems. He navigates through the Jamaa El Fna, the largest square of Africa, dodging Gnawa dancers and snake charmers who take your money before you know what’s happening. He is led by false guides to fake rugs sold by ruthless bazaar owners. It’s a maze-like world where you’re lost without a guide, but there’s no way to be sure whose side the guide is on. Is Conor up to the challenge?
#15 - Mumbai
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/25/2013
In Mumbai Conor Woodman experiences the mother of all taxi scams minutes after his arrival from the airport. After a gruelling experience at the hands of a relentless scamster claiming to be a travel agent, Conor is then approached by a woman who says she can make him a Bollywood star.
Watch Now:Amazon
#16 - Istanbul
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/28/2012
Istanbul is a city that offers a different face depending upon the areas you visit, and whether you do it during the day or at night. This exotic blend can be both fascinating and disorienting - a perfect environment for the skillful scammer to target vulnerable tourists. But in a clever feat of his own, Conor Woodman turns the tables on a scammer, and convinces him to become an operative for the film. In rare and revealing scenes, we experience first-hand the clever techniques that this con man uses to fleece his tourist victims. It turns out to be a punishing workout for Conor, but the reward is worth the effort in the end.
#18 - Amsterdam
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/2/2013
As daylight fades, the scammers emerge from the shadows readying themselves for a nights work in one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, Amsterdam. Conor meets the city's hustlers, pickpockets, fake police and ATM skimming gangs.
Watch Now:Amazon
#19 - New York
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/11/2013
Conor Woodman immerses himself in the Big Apple and find outs that Zero Tolerance hasn’t swept tourist scams from the streets. He’s taken for a ride by unlicensed pedi-cab touts in Central Park, discovers where pickpockets ply their trade now they’ve been shifted from Time Square, and falls into a huge and dangerous counterfeit perfume scam.
Watch Now:Amazon
#20 - Rome
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/14/2012
Conor Woodman is in Rome, on a mission to uncover the gritty underworld that crawls under the thriving tourist scene of the Eternal City. At the Coliseum, he finds rogue Centurions who threaten tourists and unsheathe their swords to fight over territory. Right under the dome of St Peter’s, he discovers tourist agencies that employ muscle to scare competitors off their streets and conquer contested corners. There is a turf war underway in Rome, in which tourists have become the spectators and the prize.