Common Scams

Tuktuk Scams

Basically every country on Earth has it's equivalent and variations on taxi scams. Whether its that the meter is turned off, they take a deliberately circuitous route, they quote an insane price, etc etc
The best way to avoid this is to use PickMe app. Any short tuktuk ride in a city or for getting taxis to and from the airport, use PickMe so you know the price going in. You can also pay by card incase you only have large denomination notes to avoid issues around change.

Gem Stone Stores

Sri Lanka is especially famous for its Sapphires and other precious stones.
This scam usually involves a guide, tuktuk drive, friendly person you meet telling you about this "government approved" store with amazing value gem stones. They'll then take you to the store and pressure you to buy expensive stones which may be over priced, unethically sourced, or just plain fake.

The best way to avoid this is not to enter this type of store unless you really know what you're looking at and how to price/verify gem stones.

Fake Tour Guides

Outside historic areas you may be approached by local people saying they are tour guides and they will give you a tour for a certain price. Sometimes they may be genuine, other times they may be someone with very little knowledge hoping to make some money.
If you're looking for a guided tour of an area then always ensure you're booking a registered tour guide with knowledge of the area. Its best to do this through your hotel or guesthouse.
If someone starts following you and trying to give you a guided tour without your permission you need to be very firm and stop them quickly. Otherwise you will find them continuing to follow you and demanding payment for their services that you didn't want or ask for.

Spice Gardens

A trip to a spice garden is lovely. Learn about the plants that yield all the colourful powders that live in your kitchen cupboard. Some include drinks and a massage. But many will herd you to a shop to try and pressure you into buying very expensive spices.

Spices aren't super expensive in Sri Lanka, they grow there and regular people use them all the time in cooking in large quantities. Anywhere selling spices that seem quite pricey is probably trying to rip you off.

There are two "spice gardens" we would recommend you visiting. One is inside the botanical gardens in Kandy and the other is the National Spice Garden of Sri Lanka which is free to visit and is just north of Kandy.

Not all other spice gardens are scams, but be aware that this is a common reason for the tours. If you don't want to buy spices, just say no, you don't have to. If you do want to buy spices then go to a local market or supermarket where the prices will be fairer.

Temple Donation Scams

In and around temples there may be people dressed as monks or regular people selling "blessings" or with collection jars. They might ask for a surprisingly large amount of money for a wristband or similarly small item.
This can feel like a very transactional encounter in what is supposed to be a spiritual place. You'll also see them avoid trying to entice people with tour guides, presumably as the success rate is low.

If you're going to a temple or religious site then make sure you understand the customs before visiting and whether donations are expected or not.

As a general rule we don't take any blessings from religions we don't believe in, but that's purely a personal choice.

Adam's Peak Donation Scams

Pretty much the same as the one above outside temples or other religious sites. At the bottom of Sri Pada/Adam's Peak there may be people offering bracelets or asking for donations for blessings.

They will give you a bracelet or blessing and then ask for a surprisingly large donation in return. It's best to not engage with any blessings or donations for temples that are not obviously officially affiliated with the religious site.

Unofficial Wildlife Tours

The incredible biodiversity of Sri Lanka is one of it's biggest draws. This leads to the inevitable rise in tour operators or individuals offering unethical experiences or just plain ripping off tourists.

This can be unethical experiences such as elephant riding, feeding, or bathing. Photo opportunities with sedated wild animals or feeding of wild animals to lure them for photos.
There was even one traveller who was taken on a "Yala safari" that never entered the National Park area.
Make sure any wildlife experience you are doing is through a reputable company that puts the welfare of the animals first. Avoided anything that promises sightings or interactions with wildlife. Do your research when it comes to these experiences to ensure you're doing what's best for you and the environment.

"Local Market" Scams

Something we have experienced many times is being approached on the street by someone who claims to be from our hotel, either checked us in or helped with luggage, and wants to take us to a "real local market".
They will then take you to their friends stalls where you'll be pressured into paying far too much for fruit, spices, or souvenirs.

We didn't believe anyone who claimed they were from our hotel. It's tough as you maybe only vaguely remember who checked you in or helped with your bags.

We politely but firmly told them they were mistaken and moved on. They may guess your check in date or even hotel name to try and seem genuine. Just keep walking and decline firmly and they'll lose interest.

Photograph "Scams"

There are two iconic photos from Sri Lanka involving locals. One is the stilt fisherman balanced on their poles out in the waves and the other is the ladies picking tea leaves in colourful outfits.
There are instances of both where they are completely staged for tourists to photograph and then they will ask for money after you have taken the picture.

We have mixed feelings on this as ultimately, they are models in your beautiful photo and compensating them as such seems totally reasonable. Though they are often made to hang out all day in all weather to "pose" for photos and maybe aren't getting much of the "tips" they generate for such things. This is more true of the fishermen on the poles than the ladies picking tea.

If you are taking a photo of a local person where they are identifiable or the subject of the photo you should have their permission. You don't necessarily have to pay them, but if you're photographing the ladies in the tea fields, especially if you plan to put the photo online, then they should give permission first and if they ask for money for a photo then its up to you if you think that's worth it.

Trust your gut

This feels like a lot but we ran into almost no potential scams in our 3 months exploring the country. This could just be our luck but it doesn't feel like a place where people are out to extort tourists.
That said if anything doesn't feel quite right then just walk away. Trust your instincts, be reasonably skeptical if someone is offering something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

We had people volunteer to guide us to mechanics, help change our tire, show us the best photograph spot etc without looking for anything in return. There are kind people everywhere just as there are less kind people everywhere. Be smart and you'll be fine.