Cuba (CU)
Cuba is a unique socialist island nation of 11 million people in the Caribbean — a country of vintage American cars, world-famous cigars, Havana salsa, colonial architecture, and extraordinary natural beauty.
Scam Warnings
Common scams targeting expats in Cuba.
Cuba's tourist-facing scam ecosystem is concentrated in Havana, Trinidad, and Varadero. Three golden rules: (1) Agree every price and currency in writing or verbally before any transaction — never after. (2) Cuba operates exclusively on the Cuban Peso (CUP); the CUC was abolished in January 2021 and any reference to it is either outdated confusion or a scam. (3) As of June 2026 Visa and Mastercard are blocked entirely in Cuba — carry sufficient cash in euros, USD, or use UnionPay/Mir if applicable. Cuban economic hardship has intensified hustling activity but most scams are financially motivated and non-violent.
Jinetero / Jinetera Hustling
warningCuba's most pervasive tourist-facing scam. Jineteros (street hustlers) in Old Havana, Vedado, and tourist areas approach with friendly conversation, then steer you toward businesses where they earn commissions: paladares, cigar shops, casas particulares, or their own "authentic" experiences. Prices at recommended venues are typically 2–3× the standard rate.
- - Stranger approaches unprompted with "Where are you from? I can show you the real Cuba."
- - Offers to take you to a "better" restaurant or shop than where you were heading
- - Claims to have a "friend who works at the cigar factory" or "cousin with a casa"
- - Guides you away from guidebook-recommended venues toward undisclosed "authentic" places
- - Persists after a polite refusal — uses guilt, flattery, or urgency
Fake Cigar Scams
warningStreet sellers offer genuine Habanos cigars (Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta) at "factory discount" prices. These are virtually always counterfeit — poor quality tobacco in convincing branded boxes complete with imitation holographic tax stamps. The counterfeit cigar industry is large and sophisticated.
- - "Factory worker friend" story — always false; factory workers do not sell legally
- - Approached on the street rather than inside a licensed Casa del Habano store
- - Price significantly below official Casa del Habano prices
- - No official receipt; no intact, properly placed government tax seal on the box
- - Seller insists the transaction must be quick and away from main streets
Taxi Overcharging
warningUnlicensed or opportunistic taxi drivers charge wildly inflated rates to tourists, especially at José Martí Airport and in tourist zones. Common tactics: a "broken" meter, ambiguous currency quoting, or agreeing a price then claiming it was per person rather than per ride.
- - Driver approaches you in the arrivals hall rather than you going to the official taxi queue
- - Meter is "not working today" or driver refuses to use it
- - No price quoted before you enter the vehicle
- - Price significantly above the going rate of approximately $25–30 USD from the airport to central Havana
- - Driver quotes in USD but gives change in CUP at a disadvantageous rate
Currency Confusion and Street Money Changers
warningCuba has used only the Cuban Peso (CUP) since the abolition of the CUC in January 2021. However, the informal street exchange rate for USD or EUR can be 5–10× the official bank rate, and black-market money changers exploit this confusion — using sleight of hand, short-changing, or folded notes to cheat tourists. Any mention of "CUC" by a seller or changer is itself a warning sign.
- - Price quoted in "pesos" without specifying CUP clearly
- - Change given in a different denomination than you paid with
- - Any reference to CUC — this currency ceased to exist on 1 January 2021
- - Street money changers offering rates significantly above CADECA official rates
- - Notes are counted quickly, folded, or handed over in a bundle you cannot inspect
Online Rental / Casa Particular Deposit Scams
warningFraudulent Cuban accommodation listings appear on classified sites and rental platforms. Scammers collect deposits ($200–$500 via PayPal, bank transfer, or crypto) then provide false addresses, claim last-minute cancellations, or disappear entirely before arrival.
- - Unusually low price for central Havana or Varadero accommodation
- - Host is "abroad" and cannot do a live video viewing
- - Request for full payment upfront before any verification or arrival
- - Communicates only via WhatsApp or email, refuses a voice or video call
- - Cannot provide a photo of the casa particular licence (licencia de arrendador)
Romance and "Friendship" Extraction Scams
warningCuba has documented patterns of romantic and friendship scams targeting solo travellers. New connections — romantic or otherwise — may rapidly escalate to requests for money, gifts, SIM cards, clothing, or emigration assistance. The economic disparity between Cuba and most tourists' home countries means the financial motivation is often genuine and persistent.
- - Very rapid escalation of intimacy from a first meeting
- - Financial or material requests within the first days
- - Requests for remittances "for a family emergency" or essential goods
- - Online relationships that escalate quickly before you have met in person
- - New "friend" who is always available and constantly steers conversation toward your finances
Fake Art Gallery and Workshop Scam
infoIn Old Havana, strangers invite tourists to visit an "art gallery," workshop, or studio of a "famous local artist." After a social-pressure guided tour, visitors are expected to purchase overpriced artwork or crafts. Some operations are entirely fabricated galleries set up for tourist extraction.
- - Unsolicited invitation from a stranger to visit a gallery or studio
- - Pressure to enter immediately — "It's completely free to look!"
- - Works priced in USD without visible price tags displayed in advance
- - High-pressure sales tactics and guilt-tripping after the guided tour
- - Gallery is not listed in any guidebook or Infotur-recommended resource
Unofficial Tourist Guide Overcharging
infoUnofficial "guides" attach themselves to tourists and provide unrequested tours through Old Havana, markets, or neighbourhoods. At the end they demand payment — often far beyond any implied or stated amount, sometimes aggressively.
- - Guide joins you without being explicitly hired
- - Follows you uninvited through a market or neighbourhood and begins narrating
- - No price discussed or agreed in advance
- - Demand for payment at the end is assertive or escalates if you resist
- - Guides tourists away from main streets to areas where they feel more isolated
Card Payment Fraud (All Foreign Cards Now Blocked)
criticalSince June 6, 2026, all Visa and Mastercard transactions — regardless of the issuing country — have been blocked in Cuba. US-issued cards have been blocked for many years. The only functioning international card networks are UnionPay (Chinese) and Mir (Russian). Most foreign tourists must now rely entirely on physical cash. ATMs are scarce and frequently out of cash even when operational.
- - Any vendor or exchanger claiming they can process your Visa or Mastercard card
- - Unofficial "card processing services" that charge a commission to supposedly run your card
- - ATM that accepts your foreign card but charges an undisclosed large percentage fee
- - Any claim that card payments "work now" without reference to UnionPay or Mir
Reporting
Where to report: Cuban Police (PNR — Policía Nacional Revolucionaria): emergency line 106 (free, 24h). Asistur Tourist Assistance (24h emergency line for tourists): +53 7 866-4499 — located at 208 Paseo del Prado, Old Havana. Your home country embassy in Havana (contact details from your foreign ministry). For payment fraud: report to your payment provider for chargeback or dispute. Cuban police will generally take a report but investigation of tourist scams is limited in practice.
Consumer helpline: Asistur S.A. (24-hour tourist emergency assistance): +53 7 866-4499. Cuba has no independent consumer protection ombudsman accessible to foreign visitors. For serious matters, contact your embassy. For card or payment fraud, contact your issuing bank immediately for a chargeback request.