Money & ATM Scams in Yangon, Myanmar
Card skimming, currency exchange fraud, dynamic currency conversion, and cash cons. Below are the money & atm scams scams reported in Yangon — how they work and how to avoid them.
For broader context, compare this scam type with nearby destinations like Lombok, Palawan, and Mandalay.
Last updated: April 2, 2026
3
Money & ATM Scams Scams
10
Total in Yangon
How it works
Street money changers use sleight of hand when counting out kyat notes, causing tourists to receive roughly half the currency they are owed. The trick is done quickly and confidently, and victims often do not notice until later.
How it works
Well-dressed local contacts, sometimes introduced through a seemingly chance encounter at a café or hotel lobby near Bogyoke Aung San Market, build a brief rapport with tourists and then invite them to a gem dealer friend's shop for a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to purchase rubies, jade, or sapphires at below-market prices for profitable resale back home. The stones are invariably low-grade, synthetic, or outright fakes, and certificates of authenticity provided are forged. Victims have lost hundreds to several thousand US dollars.
How it works
Vendors and money changers occasionally pass fake 1,000 or 5,000 kyat notes as change. The counterfeits are often convincing enough to fool tourists unfamiliar with genuine Myanmar currency.
See all scams in Yangon
10 total warnings across all categories