Money & ATM Scams in Swakopmund

Currency Exchange Rate Manipulation

Because the Namibian Dollar is pegged 1:1 to the South African Rand and both currencies circulate freely, some informal money changers near the Swakopmund Waterfront and at craft markets on Roon Street exploit tourist confusion by applying a fictitious exchange spread, offering NAD 0.85–0.90 per ZAR (the rate should be 1:1) or using rates that imply NAD is weaker than USD or EUR than current interbank rates. Some changers shortchange tourists in the count itself, relying on the unfamiliarity of both currencies.