Question 1

What is the "Shell Game Pickpocket Crew" scam in Tashkent?

Accepted Answer

A street performer runs a three-cup ball game surrounded by accomplices. While onlookers focus on the game, team members pickpocket the crowd. Avoid street gambling games entirely. Keep hands on your valuables if you stop to watch any street performance.

Question 2

What is the "Found Money Split Scam" scam in Tashkent?

Accepted Answer

A stranger claims to have found cash and offers to split it with you, then uses sleight of hand to steal your contribution along with the "found" money during the handover. Ignore anyone who approaches you with a "found money" story. Walk away immediately — this is always a scam.

Question 3

What is the "Fake Antique Uzbek Ceramics and Silk at Ipak Yoli Bazaar" scam in Tashkent?

Accepted Answer

Vendors at Ipak Yoli Bazaar and the surrounding covered market streets sell ceramics, ikat silk fabrics, and miniature paintings as handmade traditional crafts, but the majority are mass-produced in Chinese factories and imported. Prices are quoted as though items are one-of-a-kind heirlooms, and vendors claim pieces are antique or personally hand-painted by local artisans. Buyers paying premium prices for "authentic" Uzbek goods frequently find identical items available at a fraction of the cost in discount import stores. Buy ceramics and textiles only from workshops where you can watch artisans working, such as the Rikhtagar ceramics district in Rishtan (day trip) or verified craft cooperatives. At bazaars, treat everything as a tourist souvenir priced accordingly, and negotiate firmly rather than paying the first quoted price.

Street Scams in Tashkent

Shell Game Pickpocket Crew

Found Money Split Scam

Fake Antique Uzbek Ceramics and Silk at Ipak Yoli Bazaar

Experienced a scam here?