Money & ATM Scams in Shiraz, Iran
Card skimming, currency exchange fraud, dynamic currency conversion, and cash cons. Below are the money & atm scams scams reported in Shiraz — how they work and how to avoid them.
For broader context, compare this scam type with nearby destinations like Jerusalem, Istanbul, and Izmir.
Last updated: April 9, 2026
2
Money & ATM Scams Scams
10
Total in Shiraz
How it works
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.
How it works
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.
See all scams in Shiraz
10 total warnings across all categories