Question 1

What is the "Black Market Currency Exchange Sting" scam in Shiraz?

Accepted Answer

Street money changers near the Vakil Bazaar and in the area around Karim Khan Zand Boulevard approach tourists offering exchange rates for USD or Euros that are 10–20% above the official sarafi rate. While the black market rate is real and widely used, tourist-targeting operators use sleight-of-hand during the count, shortchanging the visitor, or switch the agreed denomination partway through. In some cases a third party posing as police then appears and demands a bribe from both parties, effectively double-victimizing the tourist. Use licensed sarafi (exchange bureaus), which are marked with a government-issued license displayed in the window. The legal rate is favorable enough that the marginal gain from black market exchange is rarely worth the risk. Never exchange money on the street, and never hand over your own currency until the full amount you are receiving has been counted out and verified in front of you.

Question 2

What is the "Currency Confusion — Rial vs Toman" scam in Shiraz?

Accepted Answer

Iran's dual currency system (rial and toman, where 1 toman = 10 rials) is routinely exploited in tourist transactions. Taxi drivers, souvenir sellers, and small restaurant owners quote prices in toman verbally but then demand payment in rials, or vice versa, effectively multiplying the price tenfold. At sarafi (exchange bureaus), some operators quote a favorable exchange rate but then hand over significantly fewer notes than agreed, counting on the tourist's unfamiliarity with large-denomination Iranian banknotes. Always clarify whether a price is in rial or toman before agreeing. Count your banknotes carefully at sarafi windows before walking away — Iranian notes come in denominations of 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, and 500,000 rials. Use licensed sarafi bureaus (look for a posted government license) rather than street exchangers. Keep a small calculator or phone app handy for conversions.

Money & ATM Scams in Shiraz

Black Market Currency Exchange Sting

Currency Confusion — Rial vs Toman

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