A view of a Moroccan medina with people at a market. Picture: Unsplash
Avid solo traveller and travel content creator, Dana Wang, has taken to social media to share her experience travelling in Fez, Morocco.
In a video on YouTube, Wang, opened up about how a father and daughter duo in the city scammed her of 15 Euros.
According to the content creator, she was travelling in Fez on her way to a mosque when the man approached her and offered to accompany her to the mosque, as he was also going there to pray and knew a nice viewpoint nearby.
“I agreed to it because he was with his daughter and was going to the mosque so I didn’t think that he’ll do anything and thought he was genuinely being nice,” said Wang.
She revealed that the man did indeed take her to the mosque and a viewpoint of the city, and afterwards, they sat down and talked then went to a family house where she also played with kids.
However, after taking her around for an hour around the city he demanded money from her.
“I was going to go back but he demanded me to give him 4 euros and I was quite surprised because I thought he was just being hospitable and wanted to show me around,” said Wang.
The solo traveller said that after she told the man that she didn’t have any money, he became aggressive and demanded that she go to an ATM to draw money to pay him.
“Obviously I said no and gave him 15 euros because that’s all I had and he was angry about that but ended up leaving. Luckily, we were in a busy public area so he couldn’t really do anything but I couldn’t trust anyone being nice to me after that,” said Wang.
Though empathetic towards Wang and her experience, social media users reprimanded Wang for being careless.
@fromfjord said: “Following a stranger that randomly offers to show you around even with a child is how you get human trafficked as well.”
Another user, @sunflowersarepretty, said: “Girl, stranger danger is not just something that is for kids. Its for everyone. You’re a solo travelling in a new place which makes you stand out even more.”
@berniejaylea said: “Could have been much worse. Thank God you’re oka, and thanks for sharing your experience to heighten awareness.”
Whilst @lucy153 said: “A lot of people don’t realise that people lure others in by using the children, you’re naturally suspicious of a gron man alone but there isn’t a single person especially a woman who’s suspicious of a child and they know that.”