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Dominican Republic > Dominican Republic Travel Info > Dangers

Dangers

While travel to the Dominican Republic is generally safe, some precautions should be taken and some dangers should be kept in mind.

Street crime

Street crime involving tourists does occur in the Dominican Republic, and normal precautions should be taken. The most common crimes against tourist in the Dominican Republic are mugging and pickpocketing. You shouldn't leave valuables in parked automobiles, on beaches and in other public places.

Cellular phones should be carried in a pocket rather than on a belt or in a purse. One increasingly common method of street robbery is for a person on a moped (often coasting with the engine turned off so as not to draw attention) to approach a pedestrian, grab the cell phone, purse or backpack, and then speed away.

Visitors to the Dominican Republic are advised to take only hotel taxis or taxis operated by services whose cabs are arranged in advance by phone and can be identified and tracked. Passengers in private taxis are frequently the victims of pickpocketing.

Use of credit cards

Tourists are recommended to limit their use of personal credit cards due to credit card fraud. Credit cards should never leave the sight of the cardholder in order to prevent the card's information from being copied down for illegal use.

The use of ATM's should be minimized as a means of avoiding theft or misuse. One local scheme involves sticking photographic film or pieces of paper in the card feeder of the ATM so that an inserted card becomes jammed. Once the card owner has concluded the card is irretrievable, the thieves extract both the jamming material and the card.

Strikes & demonstrations

Protests, demonstrations, and general strikes occur periodically in the Dominican Republic. Although these events are not targeted at foreigners, it is advisable to be cautious when traveling throughout the country. Avoid large crowds and keep a low profile during protests.