How to avoid the fruit basket scam at Kataragama temple.

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Oliver C.240 rep1

I heard vendors aggressively force tourists to buy overpriced fruit. What should we do.

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3 Answers from travellers

Accepted Answer

The fruit basket scam at Kataragama is incredibly common. Vendors will aggressively push a massive tray of fruit into your hands as an offering for the gods, and then demand an exorbitant amount of money afterwards, sometimes up to 10000 LKR.

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Nishantha D.20230 rep1

To avoid this, absolutely refuse to touch or accept any basket until you have explicitly negotiated and firmly agreed upon the final price. A standard, modest offering basket should realistically cost around 1000 to 1500 LKR maximum.

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Ruwan M.14230 rep1

Never hand them a large bill like a 5000 LKR note, as they will often claim they do not have change and refuse to give your money back. Always carry exact change when visiting the temple stalls.

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Amali K.19100 rep1

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