Is Dakar Safe for Tourists in 2026?

Scammers posing as plain-clothes police officers or customs officials approach tourists and claim they have committed an infraction — carrying undeclared currency, visa irregularities, or "suspicious behavior." They flash fake badges and demand on-the-spot cash payments to "resolve" the situation.

How to avoid: Never hand over money or your passport to anyone who claims to be a police officer outside a recognized station. Ask to go to the official police station (commissariat). Real officers do not demand cash on the street. Call your embassy if you feel threatened.

Where: Near the Plateau district around the presidential palace area, outside Marché Sandaga, and at tourist entry points including the ferry terminal and the area around Dakar railway station

Card skimming devices are periodically installed on ATMs in the Plateau district, Dakar's central business and banking quarter. Thieves attach thin overlay skimmers to card slots and micro-cameras or false PIN pads to capture card data and PINs, cloning cards for use within hours. ATMs on side streets near the port and those inside small convenience shops are the most commonly targeted; machines inside established bank lobbies carry lower risk. Victims typically only discover the fraud when checking their account after returning home.

How to avoid: Use ATMs located inside the main lobby of major banks such as CBAO, Ecobank, or Société Générale during banking hours with staff present. Cover the PIN pad with your hand every time you enter your code. Check for any looseness or misalignment of the card slot before inserting your card. Notify your bank immediately if your card is retained unexpectedly by a machine.

Where: ATMs on Avenue Léopold Sédar Senghor and the side streets around Place de l'Indépendance in the Plateau district; freestanding ATMs near the port entrance on Boulevard de la République; ATMs in small shops around Marché Sandaga.

Scammers based in Dakar use Facebook and Instagram to cultivate romantic or friendship relationships with foreign contacts, often presenting themselves as successful Senegalese professionals or diaspora members. After weeks or months of communication, they request money for medical emergencies, business investments, or travel visas to visit the victim.

How to avoid: Be highly skeptical of unsolicited social media contact from Dakar-based accounts that quickly become personal. Never send money to someone you have not met in person, regardless of the emotional connection established online. Reverse-image search profile photos to check for stolen identities.

Where: Scam originates online but perpetrators may be based in Dakar's Parcelles Assainies and Pikine suburbs; victims are typically outside Senegal but visitors to Dakar have also been targeted in person