Tourist police in Galle, are they helpful if you get scammed.
3 Answers from travellers
Yes, the Tourist Police in Galle are highly active and generally very helpful to foreigners. If a shop blatantly scams you with fake gems or refuses a legitimate refund, immediately threatening to call the Tourist Police often solves the issue on the spot.
If they do not back down, you can physically go to the Tourist Police station located right near the Galle Fort entrance. They are accustomed to handling merchant disputes and will often accompany you back to the shop to mediate.
However, to avoid relying on the police, always insist on an official authenticity certificate when buying gems, and explicitly confirm prices on a printed menu before ordering any food.
Scam Watch: galle
Someone befriends you and offers a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to buy gems at wholesale prices and resell them abroad for huge profit. They may show you fake export certificates. The gems are worthless glass or low-quality stones.
Restaurants without visible prices. Bill arrives with inflated charges (500 LKR coconut becomes 1500 LKR). "Service charges" added without disclosure.
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