Other Tourist Scams in Cairo, Egypt
Timeshares, fake police, charity fraud, and miscellaneous scams targeting visitors. Below are the other scams scams reported in Cairo — how they work and how to avoid them.
For broader context, compare this scam type with nearby destinations like Hurghada, Casablanca, and Chefchaouen.
Last updated: April 2, 2026
3
Other Scams Scams
10
Total in Cairo
How it works
Tourists are taken by taxi drivers or guides to a "family perfume factory" near tourist sites. They are pressured into buying overpriced essential oils and perfumes, often told the oils are duty-free or that prices are wholesale. The same products are available in shops for a fraction of the price.
How it works
Shops near major tourist sites sell banana-leaf or rice-paper scrolls painted with hieroglyphics and claim they are authentic hand-painted papyrus. Genuine papyrus is more expensive and feels distinctly different. Tourists pay premium prices for worthless reproductions.
How it works
Shops near tourist sites sell banana-leaf prints as genuine hand-painted papyrus art, claiming it is from government cooperatives. Tourists pay $30–200 for items worth $2. Real papyrus is thicker with layered fibers visible when held to light.
See all scams in Cairo
10 total warnings across all categories