If it feels like you have a target on your back when you’re traveling, you might be right. Tourists are being profiled like never before. Sometimes, it’s harmless.
For example, I recently walked into a cafe in Rio de Janeiro. Before I could say “bom dia,” a server handed me two menus — in English. How did she know? No matter how hard I try, I look like an American tourist , and when I walk into a restaurant, I smile like an American tourist .
So, of course, I get the English menu. But sometimes, the profiling is deadly. If you’re pegged as a tourist in Colombia, you could get drugged, robbed and even killed.
The U.S. State Department has issued a warning that numerous U.
S. citizens have fallen victim to dating scams that can end with them getting seriously hurt — or worse. “U.
S. citizens should definitely use caution while traveling and try their best not to stick out or be profiled as American while abroad,” says John Gobbels, chief operating officer of Medjet , an air medical transport program for travelers. No one keeps statistics on the number of foreign tourists profiled or killed abroad.
But based on the number of new State Department warnings and some of the stories I’ve been hearing from international travelers, the problem has never been worse. Although most profiling is just irritating — a hard sell of souvenirs or tip-baiting, for example — some of it can be hazardous to your health. But there are things you can do to avoid being targeted.
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