Bali travel warning for Aussies issued after scammer caught in the act

Australian travelers are being warned about a sneaky coin tactic used by locals in Bali to steal money from tourists.

Tens of thousands of Australians flock to Bali each month, but many may not be aware of the downsides tourists can face.

An Australian has warned travelers after being approached – but luckily knew better than to fall for the tactic.

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The woman warned that a local would approach an Australian tourist and strike up a conversation, asking where they are from and what their currency is.

They will then ask for a coin – and snatch the victim’s wallet or purse if they pull it out to show them.

“Just had my little encounter with the family walking around asking Aussies if they could look at your money,” the woman warned on the Bali Bogans Facebook page.

“He said, ‘Do you have an Australian dollar coin that I could look at?'”

However, the woman was one step ahead.

“I said, ‘We don’t show you our money mate, we heard about your scam,'” the Post continued.

“You escaped like a bat from hell.”

Other travelers shared their frustration with the scammers, with some commenting that they were also exposed to the scam.

“Same thing happened to us at Bar Jokers last week,” one person said.

“It’s been going on for well over a year,” suggested another person.

“They take your wallet/bag/phone/whatever is easy to grab…still not sure why they’re still around and never get caught…don’t let them fool you, be aware.” .”

Meanwhile, another traveler shared an urgent warning after finding out an airtag had been slipped into one of her bags in Bali without her knowledge

Emily Sinclair says she first traveled to Bali with her partner Jane when they made the shocking discovery.

“It gave us quite a scare,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.

Sinclair said they had been in Bali for a few days when they heard a “strange noise” coming from one of their bags.

“We immediately took out the battery and disassembled it and saw that the device was made in Indonesia, so we think it was put in Jane’s bag upon arrival at the airport,” she said.

Sinclair went on to explain that both she and her partner do not own Apple products or Airtags, and both completely emptied their bags before packing for the trip.

“We’re both very experienced and cautious travelers and nothing like this has ever happened, our bags never left our backs (backpack style bags) and the main compartment of the bags were locked,” she said.

“The device was found in a front pocket of Jane’s backpack that cannot be locked.”