Safety in Panama City

• Unmetered Taxi Overcharging

  How It Works

  Panama City's street taxis have no working meters, so fares must be negotiated verbally. Drivers routinely quote inflated flat rates to visibly foreign tourists — commonly 2-4x the going rate — especially from Tocumen Airport and in Casco Viejo, sometimes take deliberately longer routes, and some drivers only quoted a per-trip price but then claim at the destination it was 'per person,' doubling or tripling the fare for a group.

  How To Avoid

  Agree on the total fare for all passengers before getting in (ask explicitly 'para todos, total?'), or use Uber/InDriver instead, which show a fixed metered-style price in advance; keep a screenshot of the app's fare estimate as a reference point if negotiating with a street taxi.

• Airport Shared-bus/taxi Ambush

  How It Works

  At Tocumen International Airport, drivers or 'taxi wranglers' lure arriving passengers toward a bus or van by quoting a flat fare (e.g. around $30) to the city center, without disclosing upfront that the vehicle is shared with other strangers already on board, or that they'll wait to fill several more seats at that same per-person rate before departing.

  How To Avoid

  Confirm before boarding whether the vehicle and price are for your exclusive use, use the official taxi cooperative desk inside the terminal, or book an Uber (which can pick up from the airport parking area) using the terminal's free 30-minute Wi-Fi.

• Fake Plainclothes Police Wallet Check

  How It Works

  Two men in plainclothes flash badges briefly and claim to be conducting a routine check for counterfeit bills, asking the tourist to hand over their wallet; the 'officer' quickly palms cash while pretending to inspect it, then returns the wallet and leaves before the victim notices money missing. This has been reported occurring on quiet Casco Viejo side streets away from crowds.

  How To Avoid

  Real Panamanian police do not ask to inspect your wallet or cash on the street — legitimate ID checks only ask for identification. If approached this way, refuse, stay near a busy street or open business, and call the police non-emergency line (104) to verify if in doubt.

• 'Stranded American Serviceman' Sympathy Con

  How It Works

  A man (often described as a tall American in casual clothing) approaches a tourist or expat, usually in a hotel bar or on the street, with an elaborate story about being active-duty US military whose bag, passport and wallet were stolen by a taxi driver; he says he needs cash to travel onward (sometimes claiming he must fly to Honduras to replace military ID) and offers to pawn his wedding ring as collateral, which turns out to be worthless costume jewelry once he disappears with the loaned money. Expat Facebook groups in Panama have documented near-identical retellings of this exact story running for years, in different parts of the city.

  How To Avoid

  Never lend cash to a stranger with this story regardless of how convincing it sounds; the real US Embassy — not a Honduran base — replaces lost documents and arranges return travel for genuine stranded servicemembers, so direct anyone with this story to embassy assistance rather than giving money.

• Organized Pickpocket/distraction Teams in Casco Viejo

  How It Works

  Casco Viejo (the historic district) and the Panama la Vieja ruins are magnets for tourists, which in turn attracts pickpockets and street-level scammers; coordinated groups create a distraction — asking for directions, offering to take a photo, or crowding around with children asking for money — while an accomplice lifts phones, wallets, or cameras from bags and pockets.

  How To Avoid

  Keep bags zipped and worn across the front of your body in crowded pedestrian areas of Casco Viejo, avoid keeping a phone in an open side pocket, and be extra alert if a stranger or group of children suddenly crowds close to you or your bag.

• ATM Skimming and Card Compromise

  How It Works

  Skimming devices have been found installed on standalone ATMs outside convenience stores and in less-monitored spots (reported around areas like Calidonia and shopping malls), capturing card data during withdrawal; victims have reported unauthorized bank charges appearing days to a week later after using such machines, and there is also a reported case of a tourist being forced into a taxi after withdrawing cash from an ATM late at night.

  How To Avoid

  Use ATMs located inside bank branches or malls during business hours rather than standalone street-side machines, inspect the card slot for looseness before inserting your card, cover the keypad when entering your PIN, and monitor bank statements for a period after any Panama City ATM withdrawal.

• Fake Tour Operators and Prepaid Tour Deposits

  How It Works

  A person approaches tourists near attractions with an unusually cheap deal on a tour or canal boat trip, collects a cash deposit or full payment upfront, and then either never shows up or provides a substandard/abandoned experience — a pattern documented as one of the most common non-transport scams reported by tourists and expats in Panama.

  How To Avoid

  Book tours only through established, verifiable companies with online reviews or a hotel-recommended operator, avoid paying the full amount in cash upfront to an unsolicited street vendor, and prefer card payment so charges are traceable/disputable.

• Real Estate / Property Title Fraud Targeting Expat Buyers

  How It Works

  Foreign buyers investing in Panama City property have reported forged or expired powers of attorney (poder) used by fake sellers claiming to represent an absent owner, properties marketed as fully 'titled' when the title status is actually incomplete or encumbered, and pressure to pay a deposit before the buyer independently verifies ownership.

  How To Avoid

  Never pay a deposit before independently verifying the property's finca number and ownership/encumbrance status directly through Panama's Registro Público, and use your own independent attorney (not one recommended solely by the seller) to verify any power of attorney and check it hasn't been revoked.

Practical Steps

• Always carry a passport or a photocopy of the identification page and entry stamp — police can detain and fine people who cannot produce ID.
• For a routine traffic stop, remain calm, keep hands visible, and cooperate; officers may ask for license, registration, and passport/ID.
• If an officer hints at an on-the-spot cash payment to 'resolve' a minor infraction, official guidance is to decline (unless force is threatened) and ask to speak with a supervisor rather than pay a bribe.
• Do not attempt to offer a bribe yourself — this is illegal and can escalate a minor situation into a criminal one.
• Report any extortion attempt afterward via the tourist police line (511-9260) or, for U.S. citizens, to Embassy American Citizen Services.
• Formal traffic fines in Panama are processed through official channels (tied to your license/vehicle record), not paid in cash directly to the officer at roadside.

Scam Warnings

• A commonly reported street-level scam involves people posing as friendly locals or taxi drivers offering to source drugs, then either overcharging heavily, supplying fake/adulterated product, or setting up a robbery.
• Plainclothes-officer shakedowns and demands for on-the-spot 'fines' are a recognized risk pattern targeting visitors near known using/dealing spots; these encounters are unpredictable and can escalate to formal arrest regardless of any informal resolution offered.

Harm Reduction Notes

• Assume any drug beyond alcohol/tobacco is fully criminalized in practice; there is no official decriminalization threshold you can rely on if stopped.
• Panama is a major regional trafficking transit point, which means enforcement pressure (checkpoints, port/airport searches) can be higher than in some neighboring countries.
• Foreign nationals face full prosecution with no diplomatic exemption; embassies cannot secure release from custody.
• Prison conditions in Panama are harsh, and pretrial detention can be lengthy before any sentencing or repatriation.

Harm Reduction Notes

• The legal status covers the direct exchange between consenting adults, but anyone brokering, pimping, or organizing on a third party's behalf is committing a separate crime.
• STI/HIV prevalence has historically been reported as higher among sex workers in Panama City and Colón than the national average, underscoring the value of consistent protection regardless of a partner's registration status.
• Foreign sex workers are legally required to hold a specific 'alternadora' visa; many work informally on tourist visas instead, which is itself a visa violation with separate immigration consequences.