No need to apologize at all! These things happen and I’ve been to India several times and absolutely love traveling there. In every country there are good and bad people but thankfully the good and the overwhelming majority.

You can get scammed anywhere like you say in your own country even if you are not familiar with the locale you are in. Scammers will try to take advantage of any opportunities they can.

As for my name, I know it’s very common in India but I’m Turkish. It’s also used in Turkey, but not nearly as common there. It was quite confusing for people when I was in India actually and an explanation each time!

That said, India is such a large and complex place that even for an Indian being fleeced is very common. Most Indians are likely to lose their bearings if they are more than 50-100 kms outside from their usual habitat. A taxi drivers in Jaipur is going to do it to a tourist from Delhi and vice versa. I have been fooled in buying a silver (so called pure) tumbler in Jaipur for some Rs 900 when it turned out it was just a cheap alloy. And it was sold with a receipt !!! He knew I would be unlikely to do all that travel back to Jaipur for a sum of Rs. 900. This fleecing goes on in almost all famous tourist places save a few honest shopkeepers/taxi drivers etc.

By the way, your first name being Anil, do you have any Indian consanguinity?

It’s great to have discovered you as well!

I think in India traveling as a woman presents even more challenges, thanks for the perspective. I’ve always wondered what it might be like to travel as a woman.

Excellent point about the luggage as well, I haven’t seen it tried on me, but could easily happen.

Well, besides the pts mentioned by you I get harassed by something more.
In Delhi, whenever I come out of the airport (after buying a pre-paid tkt), invariably there would be 2 ppl sitting in the front giving some lame excuses. I always have to ask them to get rid of either. Being a woman I know the crime situation in Delhi.

Also, after reaching your destination, they’d ask for extra money for luggage whereas you’d have already paid for it. Or knowing how much money they gonna get, they try to take short cut to the destination.

Some more pts are there but some other time. 🙂