Other Tourist Scams in Asunción

False Police Officer Shakedown

A person in plain clothes or partial uniform near the Palacio de Gobierno and the downtown pedestrian zone stops tourists claiming to investigate counterfeit guarani or drug activity, demanding wallet and passport inspection. Paraguay has no legal basis for a plainclothes officer to conduct a street wallet inspection, and the goal is to extract cash or demand a bribe to avoid a fabricated fine.