It’s only natural when you don’t know your way around a new city to end up taking taxis everywhere. But, in Buenos Aires taxi drivers will sometimes take advantage of a tourist’s ignorance to make some extra money. Make sure you read these tips to avoid getting ripped off.

There are many fake 20, 50 and 100 pesos bank notes circulating. One common scam consists of giving foreigners fake notes with their change. When you take a taxi in the evening, some taxi drivers may try to give you fake money taking advantage of the darkness and your lack of familiarity with our money. To minimize the chances of this happening, don’t pay the taxi fare with big notes and try to keep some change with you. If you are in doubt whether the money is good or not, pay attention to watermarks, texture and other safety.

Often taxi drivers will take a longer route to a destination if they sense that their passenger is a tourist who isn’t familiar with Buenos Aires.  Buying a map and acquainting yourself with the city and its major avenues is a good way to avoid this. An excellent resource is the Guia T, which can be purchased at any newsstand and gives you detailed maps of neighborhoods as well a guide to the colectivo (bus) routes.

Finally, a little bluffing can go a long way. Before leaving for your destination try to identify the cross streets of your address and then give those to the driver as opposed to the exact address.  For example instead of telling the taxi driver you are going to “1357 Laprida” you should tell them you are going to “Laprida entre Santa Fe y Charchas.”  This will indicate to the driver that you are knowledgeable of your destination and will deter them from taking a longer route.

(to see more pics and get more tips on identifying fake notes, go to http://www.mdku.com.ar/hdps/?p=249)