Fake charity collectors during Vesak festival crowds
5 Answers from travellers
This is absolutely a scam. While Vesak is a time of giving, legitimate charities and temples do not send people into the streets with clipboards to harass tourists for cash. They are exploiting the religious atmosphere. Just smile, shake your head, and keep walking. If you want to donate, give directly to the donation boxes inside the temple.
Never pull your wallet out in a dense crowd like that anyway, it attracts pickpockets.
If they get aggressive, just point toward a police officer. There are hundreds of cops on duty during Vesak.
We ignored them, but they were very persistent. Good to know it is just a scam.
They show you a list of fake names with huge donation amounts next to them to guilt you into giving more.
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