This is always worth repeating...

[onager]

"The easiest person to con," says Robbins, "is someone who thinks he's too smart to be conned."

http://www.portfolio.com/careers/features/2008/11/13/How-To-Avoid-Getting-Conned#page1

Bonus Useless Advice: Avoid Getting Conned In Egypt

1. Know how to get into the Egyptian Museum in Cairo: the main entrance is in the back, not the front. Follow the tour buses...to the back. The impressive front gates are always locked. If you are standing there Looking Foreign with a camera and guidebook, you might as well be wearing a sandwich board that says "Take My Money."

2. "Ah, sorry, the Egyptian Museum is closed for Prayer Call:" public attractions in Egypt do not close for Prayer Call. NONE of them. Con artists at the Pyramids use the same line. The helpful Egyptian who tells you this lie will probably be wearing a nice suit, introduce himself as "Doctor" Somebody, and mention his relatives in America or Europe.

The next line will be: "...but while you are waiting for the Museum/Pyramids/Entire Country to finish Prayer Call, please allow me to show you a wonderful Papyrus/Perfume Museum." If you want to be cruel and have fun, ask him why the Papyrus Museum is open during Prayer Call.

3. The Wonderful Papyrus/Perfume Museum!: avoid these joints as you would avoid all 10 Biblical plagues of Egypt. Believe me, you'll be wishing for a rain of frogs or cloud of locusts by the time you finally get out. They are not museums, they are stores that specialize in ripping off tourists. The whole Giza area is covered with them.

The whole objective is to make you sit through a sales pitch so long-winded and annoying, you'll buy something just to escape. The stuff is generally hideous and hideously over-priced. If you want to buy souveneirs, hire a decent tour guide and he or she will help you out.

Always keep this in mind: the con artists know most tourists don't want to appear rude or ungracious, and that is one of their most powerful weapons against you.

Also be warned that every taxi driver in Cairo has an arrangement with these ripoff shops, and gets a cut of the take for steering you there. So don't let the cab make any unscheduled stops. The more aggressive drivers will just pull up to a shop and demand that you go inside. Ignore them. If they keep pushing, look for a cop and make sure the driver knows you are looking. That will usually put a quick stop to the negotiations.

[varkam]

1. Exactly. You find that same sentiment among people who think that the power...

of the situation has no sway over them, and so they are, in fact, more likely to be influenced by situational factors