How to be safer in the DR - Compilation of tips by DR1 Members

[Me_again]

This new thread seems relevant to the topic here

US Travel Advisory.....seems to be getting worse..........

[lulove]

i'm planning on traveling to cabrete with 35 people (25-65) for my wedding...unfortunately some of our group isn't well traveled, or traveled at all for that matter...i'm a female who traveled solo in europe for 4 months with no worries or problems.... obviously common sense comes into play- but not everyone has a 'common sense' when it comes to traveling, and sometimes they may think that they do- but don't. should i be concerned about safety in cabrete staying at villas/or small hotel?

lulove, please start a new thread in the North Coast forum. And no, don't be concerned but don't be idiots either.

[cdnstudent]

A Canadian company called Tilley makes long & short pants with hidden secure pockets. Very useful for keeping money safe. I believe they sell over the internet.

[canadian bob]

Originally Posted by cdnstudent

A Canadian company called Tilley makes long & short pants with hidden secure pockets. Very useful for keeping money safe. I believe they sell over the internet.

I use Tilley clothes all the time. Very secure & easy to wash/wear, including underwear Highly reccommended!! Canadian Bob.

[pmey27]

Over the last year there have been several people deported from Miami back to the DR. It has mainly been for criminal activity. I am not sure what happens when they return to the DR but I have a pretty good idea!

[TimeConAlan]

Originally Posted by paladino

Just back from Cabarete where I had to use an ATM. The ATM stated on the screen that it could not complete my transaction yet I was charged $62 USD on my statement. The next ATM I went to worked fine. Now I have to challenge the improper charge and will surely loose because all bastard bankers claim that ATM cannot malfunction like that. I recommend only using ATMs at bank locations so that you can bitch at someone if ripped off not to mention that many bank locations have 24 hr. security on site for added protection.

Wasn't the Scotia Bank ATM was it? We got warned off that by our Dominican friends last year who told us it was rife with fraud... Maybe that was a bit of a sensationalism though!

[DrChrisHE]

When DRIVING in the DR I've learned to lock my doors. IF you are driving with your windows down, DON'T put anything on the seat that could be grabbed (esp in city driving). I PREFER driving a beat-up, partially rusted jepette because virtually no one thinks I have $. Keep peso and 5 peso coins (maybe some 10s & 20s to) separate from the rest of your $. When you park and are approached by a local kid to "watch your car" give him a small coin and tell him that he'll get more after when you return. I've developed relationships with many of these 9-14 year olds and they actually run up to hug me after almost a year of being here (not that I trust them completely but at least I know they recognize me & that I don't carry a lot of $).

Sometimes you HAVE to trust in the kindness of DR strangers. I'm not naive & grew up just over the NYC line on LI...still things happen. I've had motoconchos come to my rescue several times (my car fell into one of the open usually grated and clogged sewer area; 2nd flat tire in a week when the moto took my tire and had it repaired; leading me through a bad construction area where things were closed and traffic was dead stopped--MC stopped traffic for me to get through)--TIP them. We need to establish that the Foreign Nationals are not here merely to TAKE from this country.

On top of the above, I almost never wear jewelry that is expenive--not even my wedding ring, but I must wear a medic alert which many locals have TUCKED IN my shirt FOR me. And, my clothing has continued to get shabbier over time (that drying in the sun wears things out faster than dryers in the US.) When alone in the cities, I always wear shoes I can run in & mind the open man holes & sewer drains.

My experience has been quite positive (although sobered by Matilda being shot last summer, and several other people having issues). One must TRY to speak Dominican but don't expect to understand everyone in SPM even if you speak Spanish perfectly.

WOMEN--DON'T SMILE AT MEN!!! I know this sounds absurd because I'm naturally gregarious and smile at everyone (unless things are REALLY bad). Why shouldn't you smile at men? Because they WILL assume you want to go have a roll in the hay. I'm serious. My teenage son told me this after a month of being here "Mom, you smile too much. These guys think you are looking for a man." I laughed but it's true. In fact, Matilda warned me off one guy who I had danced with at Giulias (thanks to her, I don't have him moving in with me and the rest of my family.)

I've got lots more if you want the perspective of a 44 yr old US-born but world travelled woman with 3 kids and a dh here. Just ask.

[DrChrisHE]

Originally Posted by TimeConAlan

Wasn't the Scotia Bank ATM was it? We got warned off that by our Dominican friends last year who told us it was rife with fraud... Maybe that was a bit of a sensationalism though!

Okay...NO it's not sensationalism...That one does that (not sure if it's intentional) BUT regardless, ANY TIME you get $ handed to you...via ATM, Banker, or change from a caja, COUNT IT. The ATM thing happens A LOT! My dh has had it happen 2x (& I had it happen once) in JD where he is given money but they short him. The key here is to always print your receipt and keep it. Then contact YOUR personal bank (wherever) where the ATM was issued and challenge it. It takes 2-3 weeks for them to sort it out but they do. In my case, I went right into the bank and told them (this requires Spanish) and they did a recount of their $ in the ATM when they later refilled it that day. I rec'd a call and went to pick up my 1000 pesos.

Cashiers and gas station attendents will short you; I can't say if it's intentional or the inability to make change. It happens. Count your change.

[Capt. Rob57]

The easiest way : For example my boat has a battery switch which in case of a fire cuts off the current this can also be installed in a car so when you leave the car there is no current going to the key switch. When they try to steal the car where are they going to go they will think the battery is dead and move on . Just make sure you are the only one that knows where this switch is.

[KeithF]

I initially posted this to start a new thread "prostituting pickpockets".
prostituting pickpockets...

It was suggested that the post might be useful in this "How to be safer in the DR" thread.
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Can't believe the "Are they all prostitutes?" thread gets closed on the one day when I finally get something interesting to add... (well, interesting as far as I'm concerned, probably boring and uninteresting to the people who read this...)

Anyway, I've got a dodgy leg with no feeling in it (don't ask why, it's a short story drawn out too far as it is). As a result I trip up regularly and at the best of times. On a dodgy pavement, I trip and stagger like a drunk even when sober. So this evening, as I stagger like a drunk, back to my abode I was approached by a puter. Not taking 'no gracious' (sp? I'm bad enough in English, let alone Spanish) she walked with her hand on my shoulder, with me repeating the words I wrote before, probably pronounced as badly as I spell.

Anyway, the point is, as she let go of my shoulder her hand went for my arse, or more probably my arse pocket. Fortunately, being sober and half expecting it, I caught her fingers before she got there. Another, this time 'firm' "NO", she turned around and went in search of another client/victim.

And the point?

Well... I can now be one of those DR's who lament the increase in crime after my first brush with an over enthusiastic prostitute...

and I can complain about how Cabarete is going down hill, given this was only 10:30pm...

But if that thread asking "are they all prostitutes?" wasn't closed, I could have responded with "yes, when a woman approaches you who you don't know and she starts to touch you, she is a prostitute... and quite probably a thief, so watch your pockets rather than asking her for Spanish lessons!

...which would have been so much quicker and easier
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In short, if a prostitute starts to touch you, tell them in no uncertain terms to stop doing so. She's looking for your wallet. If a prostitute tries to talk to you at night, don't stop walking. How do you know if she's a prostitute? Simple, it's it's after dark and she's approaching you...

Don't be frightened but do be safe.