My wife and I were in Mexico (Tulum) 2 months ago. The main street with all of the restaurants, bars, shops etc was setup to where it was a one way, but there were no signs telling anyone that thisw was a one way street. Therefore, since its a heavy tourist area, the locals knew it was a one way but tourists didn't. Needless to say this street is a trap setup by corrupt Mexican police to pull over and shake down tourists going the wrong direction. One Sunday, we were riding down the street and got pulled over, not knowing that this was a one way. The cops said to me "This is a one way" and asked for my identification. I then politely asked them "Where are the signs showing that it is a one way?" They looked at me and laughed, and refused to answer me. I quickly recognized the situation and realized that this was a tourist trap that the Mexican police put in place in order to shakedown tourists. Long story short, the cop said I owed a $100 fine. I told the police officer that I would be happy to pay it, and I would follow him to the police station in order to pay it. He stopped and was completely caught off guard. He was expecting me to simply pay him right then and there. However, since I asked to follow him, he whispered something to his partner, handed me my ID card and told me that I was free to go without paying a fine. I drove down a couple more blocks and there were literally dozens of cops randomly pulling over a bunch of tourists on the same street. They had set it up to where they knew the time of day they would do a coordinated shakedown. Moral of the story is, having this knowledge works like crazy. Thanks Jason for the training!
@@JasonHansonSpyBriefing I've heard of this happening here in the good old USA, though it's usually antecedents about small town corrupt sheriffs or big city street cops. The "one way" sign is there--obscured by a tree.
Most corrupt cops want to feel 'helpful' so if you were to say "Can you please help me with this?" it might be some icing on the cake where they might reduce the 'fine' even more. Best thing to do is to travel with a local and safety in numbers.
The summer of 2005, I got pulled over on I-90 in Montana. Family vacation, my youngest son was 4 and got sick in the car. We were on our way to Little Bighorn and were about 15 miles away so I sped up (about 10 above limit). I got pulled over maybe 5 minutes after he got sick, so the stench was everywhere. Officer didn't care. What shocked me though was that instead of writing me a ticket, he wanted $80 bucks on the spot. So if people tell me that it only happens in Mexico don't believe it.
I was stopped and robbed by a Georgia state trooper in 1992 when I was driving from Florida to Canada. He asked me how much American money I had in my wallet and then wrote a speeding ticket to match that amount. If I didn't pay cash, then I would spend the weekend in jail. I have not returned to Georgia since that crime was committed.
Police in Illinois stopped my best friend's brother and his wife on a highway coming back to Iowa from their wedding. The police forced them to open their gifts and go through the cards and give them all the money they found. I was on the same highway on a weekend trip and was stopped. Due to the credit card effect I had no cash. They had me stand by the highway suggested traffic violations and insinuated worse. They searched me. They went through my luggage. They searched the car thoroughly, even taking apart parts that detached. One of the cop sarcastically complained that I traveled light and he could not believe it. Unlike my friend's brother, I managed to leave without a ticket and without losing money - although I lost a couple of hours of time. I read later that someone on the same highway had filed a criminal complaint in a Federal court against the officers. Apparently that person had lost ten thousand dollars.
@@hhf39p there was a couple of people who went to a star trek convention in st. louis and were stopped by the police in illinois going home and had the car searched and they brought the dog and dog the dog to signal for drugs (which they didnt have). It was on the news and the video is probably still on youtube.
@@Durmomo0 I do not know what they said as a reason to my friends brother. They did mention drugs as a reason for holding me. I am a very boring person and never have had any such thing. The reason they gave for holding the man's 10k appears to be the same, that they thought it was drug money. It reminds me of the case of Linda Martin. The FBI closed a savings and loan and kept all the cash found in the safe deposit boxes. Linda Martin has been asking for her money back for years. My first reaction was to think there must be more to the story, but after our experience with the highway police it seems more believable. That will come up a Google search. It could be worse. Sandra Bland ended up dead after not going along with a traffic stop, though she was unarmed. That is also on Google. Then there is all the attorney corruption in the U.S. In a sense US corruption is worse, because no on really believes it. What would cost 20 bucks in Mexico for asking if the policeman can help a person out and take care of it, can cost thousands in attorneys fees over years. Unlike Mexico, in the US there is a belief that corruption does not exist, so no one will believe a victim nor help out.
When I was a kid, my family lived in Mexico for a year and we encountered corruption a few times. In addition to the “cop writing bogus ticket” issue (and taking a bribe), one of the other issues we encountered was at the gas stations. My dad, being a high school teacher, was observant. He sometimes saw the gas station attendant squirting the gasoline on the ground intentionally rather than filling the tank, which I presume was because the attendant wasn’t a fan of Americans. Of course, the plan was to charge my dad for the spilled gas. He’d catch them in the act and thwart their plans. My dad especially loved working with the so-called “troubled kids” at school, and he said that they often just needed someone to listen to their problems and take time with them and to respect them. In addition to making their lives better, he also got to understand how they operated, lol, and he was very watchful for misdeeds during classes. That watchfulness helped while we were in Mexico, and although corruption was rampant, we loved the Mexican citizens. Really good people.
My first time in Tiajuana with my father as an adult, we went into a cantina and my father told me to give the Federalé $10.00. I asked him why. He told me when I get into a fight it'll be the other guys fault. It worked. My father knew I'd get into a fight (over the worm, of course ) and he didn't want other complications. I won the fight and stayed out of jail. Good night for me!
My first time overseas my buddy and I got jammed up by some police claiming to be doing vehicle inspections on a very long dark desert road ,We noticed the older officer had his hand out, my buddy handed him an ID and under the ID was $100.. the ID was handed back and the bill vanished like a magic trick, we were told the road was dangerous, and they gave us an escort to town..
I have a shady neighbor (not really a criminal - just a partier) here in baja who always goes and takes a gift to the local police jefe wherever he's going to be spending any time.
In the Philippines if you get a traffic violation. You just ask for a warning on the violation and hire them for an escort to some place wuth a short distance. Paying them to take you somewhere vs outright bribing good cops works.
Yep, in 1990 I was in TJ and hot shook down by local cops. I was deployed a lot and was already in the habit of distributing my cash in about 5 different locations on my body. I knew I had $40 in my left front pocket so I I asked who I could pay my fine to. Of course the cops said I could pay him. I held up the $40 and told him that was all I had. Magically, my fine was $40. There are very few jams that a handful of cash won't solve
Jaywalking on Revolution Blvd in 1992, although we were in the crosswalk with a bunch of other people, but had that short haircut. The "fine" was $60.00 each, even though there were 100 people crossing the street all around us in the crosswalk. Also the cop took my friends Rolex (fake). I never went back. We started going to Mission Beach and La Jolla instead.
Solid advice. I was 4wheeling and got high centered. Hiked to the main road called a tow truck. Driver said he wasn’t going back “there" called it in to the dispatcher he said "this ain’t a tow this is a recovery I don’t do recoveries” $100 did the trick.
I learned about police bribing and corruption when I went to Honduras at age 11. I watched how my dad talked charismatically and got us out of trouble by giving money and even a very fancy pen. They loved the pen! Whenever I travel abroad I always suspect that the police are corrupt and a little money goes a long way
I've been living in Southern Thailand with my Thai wife and two children for several years. We were on a trip in Bangkok when a cop stepped out in front of my truck and waved me over. He said I had made an illegal lane change on the bridge we had just come over (I hadn't changed lanes). He starts to write me a ticket, and I asked him where we had to pay for it. He gave me five minutes worth of directions to a place we would never find. I told him we were in a hurry and asked if we could pay the fine here with him. 500 Baht (about 15 USD) later we were on our way. We always carry cash in several places.
I was robbed by a CIA spy who claimed he needed my concert ticket to follow a suspect into the venue. I was suspicious and called the police and he was arrested in my seat watching the concert. It was the Micheal Jackson concert and I was 14. Turns out he wasn't really a spy ;).
Got a big chuckle watching this one by Jason!. I have been living as an expat in LatinAm almost 25 years, a lot of that in chaotic corrupt messy Venezuela....being prepared for a stop by excessively curious, hungry or broke cops is part of daily preparedness + OPSEC....having a good cover story (backed up by convincing truthful evidence), friends in high places, and a bit of helpful "donation cash" has really worked well for me.
@@nickgerr1991 it really is a good strategy to keep them out of your hair, as well as an opportunity for gaining a contact for some odd jobs or errands. (Many cops here hire themselves out as private security guards offering " protection" to local shops or as motorcycle security escorts).
@@peterbehringer63 I've been told in small villes if you're simply looking to chill, it's adviseable upon arrival to go seek the local leo and ask the cheif where you go to contribute to the mayor's benevolence fund.
@@philipkeeler9997 hehehe ..holds true here...the twist here is that here in VZLA the local head honcho could be somewhat roguish political leader linked to the Maduro regime, or more remote rural areas, a paramilitary gang .boss that controls the zone.
Things here in the US used to be a little different. Back in the '70's I actually used a similar line to 'pay the fine' for a minor possession charge (which would have lead to a much larger charge...) but that was long ago. More recently I accidentally rolled forward into a vehicle in a company van, this was rather a junker of a pickup I bumped, really no new damage and just a small ping on my front bumper. This, if reported, would have lead to a big headache from management as they take it like a federal crime. Guy gets out looking angry, I get out playing the 'I'm so sorry, totally my fault, blah blah', quickly defuse the anger, but he's still debating whether to report it. I pointed out that his plate was hanging by one screw and he had a cracked tail light lens. Told him, 'that may have been my fault, will $50 cover it?'. He was so shocked with the $50 bill I handed him, he just stammered 'yeah, yeah, sure..' took it and left. I know good and well I didn't damage this truck, it was just worth it to me as I really didn't need the headache. Worked a couple hours OT that week and forgot about it. And No, no one ever noticed the small dent on my vans' bumper. Good advice you give BTW. Thank You
I live in baja, Mexico. I had a cop stop me and said "you were going very fast. The fine is $50, but not to worry, I can take your payment to the judge for you." I said "do you think the judge would take $20?" "Si, I think he'd be fine with that." Lol! I now carry 2 wallets. My bait wallet has $20 in it, so I can just show the cop that's all I have. One tip is to stall, stall, stall. If they get impatient for the amount of money they think they can get, they'll often get frustrated and give up.
Something similar happened to me in Honduras in the 80s. I went the wrong way on a one way street and a traffic cop got in the car with me. He had me driving around randomly, threatening to take me to the police station, and giving me lots of hints on why he needed money. I played the dumb American and stalled, stalled and stalled. Finally I offered him $5 which he happily took and quickly got out of my car!!😅😅😅
I grew up in the desert SW, which is why I would have let that truck pass without seeing me, and finished the solo hike back to the car. It is generally a good practice to keep to yourself unless you actually need help.
Spain - Italy - France - Germany - Belgium - Austria - Netherlands - Switzerland - Denmark - UK - Ireland - Norway - Sweden - Finland (all in Europe) If you show a bill to a police officer in those countries you are going to get arrested 99.99% of the time
@@94D33M in poorer countries corruption on the street level is ubiquitous. In rich countries corruption also thrives but on higher levels, like distribution of state contracts for infrastructure maintenance, adjusting legislation for the convenience of some interested parties, etc. It's not wealth follows culture, it's other way around.
I always carry cash. I have had past issues where I needed help and the tow service would only take cash. Since then, I always carry cash. Cash is king. The amount I carry wouldn't harm my life if I lost all of it. I do like your idea of splitting it up.
I was in downtown Seattle in the early 2000's. "Female" police officer was in the street directing traffic as everyone was trying to get out of downtown at the end of the day. This was pre COVID and nobody worked from home back then, everyone commuted. She waved me over and asked me why I did not obey her hand signals. I had no idea she was communicating with me since I did not even see her amidst all the traffic. I told her, sorry I did not even see you. She lost it. She did not like that I was making a left at an intersection and then immediately got right as soon as I completed the left turn, so that I could get into the right lane that I needed to be in to merge onto Interstate-5 South. She started pounding on my window and screaming at me,"You F-ing tell me why I should not give you a ticket right now! You tell me! Now"! I just smiled and starred her right in the eye, and let the clock run out; because behind us and on the left and right traffic was building exponentially and people were honking and driving around us, yelling "get out of the way". She finally screamed, "get out of my sight"! Although there was no corruption or money involved, I thought the story deserved to be shared. I moved away from that looney bin.
I was in Seattle about twenty years ago. Pretty much the same story only it was a guy. Young, obviously new to the force, and a head full of arrogance. I got out of it on the scene.
Plenty of corrupt police in the US as well. The police department in Kendleton, TX was disbanded after the feds caught them taking bribes in traffic stops. They were notorious to the Houston area residents. If I wanted to drive south on 59, I just adjusted my route to avoid Kendleton. In Surfside, TX, we were parking on the beach and didn't see the tiny sign on the beach entrance that we needed a permit. So, beach patrol was ever so willing to sell us a permit and, "pay the fine" on spot. Permit was $35, "fine" was $50. Oh yeah, cash. Having said that, I had a buddy who is a legal citizen of the US, who used to drive to his house in Mexico. He told me he always took just enough cash to "pay the fine" but not so much cash he'd just get robbed and killed.
Excellent tip. Even if you’re being shuttled by your hotel shuttle take cash. They are not immune to shake downs .It happened to me, all the passengers had to pass the hat to pay the “fine”.
A sketchy double stop sign caused me to get pulled over in Mexico. $26 in cash in one pocket, i opened and emptied (separate from my wallet, and cash stashed in 2 different places in my car) was enough “to take care of the ticket there”, although he did initially tell me I could pay at the station. For convenience, my cash spoke the language well enough.
absolutely positively take this message to heart. been there (Mexico ..& places) done that. they're not totally dumb. "how do I pay the fine?" ..a top strategy. in a shakedown they'll assume you have backup cash and try to get at it. they want to get at the next victim so time in on your side. you let them find the deliberately limited backup cash should it be necessary. they'll feel smart and leave without taking more time to search. you really had the serious backup for the backup in a hard to reach place while getting to survive ok 🙂once free, you rearrange to again have a bit in your pocket, limited backup in your pack or whatever, then the majority still hidden well ..to be ready for the next encounter. a great vid here where I cannot disagree with any of it 😎
Been to Mexico many times. Never been shaken down by cops or robbed. And I've been in touristy places and non touristy places. Great video great tips. Keep up the good work
You are lucky. If u regularly go to Mexico or take a long drive on their high ways u will be stopped......As Jason says it will be some bs reason. I had a customer who regularly drove from Texas to mexico and back. He would get stopped several times each trip. He said the cops were so poorly paid just $10 would usually allow him to continue on his way. He used to keep cash under the seat of his truck in a cigar box. He would have two $10 bills to n his wallet. Thecfop
I may have missed your general guide to interacting with officials world-wide, but cultures differ around the world. My story is not a bribery story but in Narita International I made a cultural faux pas and was in the process of being strip-searched prior to arrest by an airport police officer. My crime? When I asked if I had drugs or guns, I looked the Japanese police officer right in the eye and said, "No sir, none of the above." He immediately became angry. His supervisor came over to see what the fuss was all about, looked at my passport, and while I didn't understand Japanese (beyond my Berlitz phrase book) I suddenly realized that I was a victim of culture clash. In the USA, averting gaze (failing meet law enforcement gaze) is read as deceptive behavior. In Japan, that's respectful. I had inadvertently challenged that Japanese policeman's authority. Worse, I should have known better. I was working in the Middle East at the time. Perception of disrespect is disrespect. What would be felony bribery of a law enforcement officer in the United States could simply be a respectful "tip" much like tipping a waiter in the restaurant. I've used a number of travel guides in the past and one thing missing from most is how to interact with police--what's the expected conduct, what's out of line legally IN THAT TIME AND PLACE. My "no deception" message was interpreted as a challenge to the policeman's status and I was fortunate--a supervisor intervened. Even in America, once a law enforcement officer has crossed a certain line, follow-up is required. Traffic stops routinely (depends on agency rules) includes a follow-up report of some type--the cop has to articulate a reason why YOU got stopped and interrogated. Do you have a guide on this? Is it something that can be done in a five-minute video? Simple packing tips so that the contents of checked baggage don't result in having the bag dumped on the floor and the lining ripped out is one example. Compression bags may be mistaken for drug packaging--when it was just a compact way to store socks!
This is a great suggestion. Yes, everything varies depending on where you are in the world. It's challenging and should be one of the things that should be studied prior to going. Glad you ended up okay in Japan. I'll have my team take a look and see how this could fit in to the content. Thanks again.
Alan Cranford. When you got asked if you had drugs and guns on you, I think that you got angry and upset, and were staring at that japanese police officer with hostility and that you tried to act tough.
@@hieveryone.8508 Could be--but in Japan it's customary to show respect by lowering one's gaze. Police attitudes throughout Asia uniformly regard "civilians" as beneath the policeman.
@Alan Cranford In India...no Rules..... what he says is the law. They feel exactly like they are much above the law and normal people are slaves to them. They will beat people on the road, if a vendor refused to pay his daily evening bribe....they will flog him right there.... nobody will ask.... and no senior will step into the situation etc..... unless your a foreigner maybe. They regularly beat people to death and claim it as a lock up suicide.
Love the Cornerstone festival shirt on the driver😀. JPUSA is still helping people get off the street through jobs, rooms, etc. No festival has ever been as unique and fantastic either. Loving your channel
Your friend met the same cop in Mexico I did. Exactly same words, except he asked me how much money I needed to get home, and gave that back to me. Another line we use in foreign countries is, “I’m not going to be here very long, can you pay the fine for me?” But usually they are not shy in demanding the money.
Those same corrupt police are right here in Canada as well. They are corrupt and you are guilty of a crime, they will charge you and once they charge you you have to go to court to prove your not the guy thay say, that costs money.
Was in Playa Del Carmen Mexico, heading to Cancun to catch a flight, I was speeding, luggage was visible (the SUV had clear windows and we had lots of luggage). Yo no hablo but my wife is Mexican and not demur... anyways had to pay $100 or would have had to show up to court the next day. My wife's take on it was the only reason he stopped us that the luggage was visible and he knew we had a flight to catch.
Colombian Cops usually highball with their first request. You can always reduce it down to about 10% by saying you will plead not guilty. These cops only earn about $350 a month so they are happy to settle for $10-$15. The problem is when you are innocent they can still hold you up to 24-48 hours. However, they will almost never call for back up or take you to the station because then they have to split the bribe. They will typically detain you for 50-90 minutes.
Living in Brazil and Panama for 14 years, I had a number of occasions to deal with corrupt cops. I took care not to antagonize the cops (which could be dangerous...) but I only rarely paid a bribe. Mostly I just acted like a clueless gringo and pretended not to understand what the cop was asking about (though I speak fluent Spanish and Portuguese). I also learned to keep my cash hidden and not in my wallet, so I could display my open wallet and say the cop could have my last few dollars, but 'that's all I've got'. Once, after nabbing me for a rather ingloriously small bribe, a traffic cop demanded that I also hand over a six-pack of coke sitting in my car next to me. To avoid a traffic ticket or worse, I was happy to give up the sodas. On balance, I would never advise arguing with overseas cops or decrying their efforts to extract a bribe, as that might land you in real trouble. But a bit of preparation can make a possible interaction with bent cops a lot less challenging and risky.
Having local knowledge helps a lot. In Cambodia for example the phrase to use is "for coffee". Also remember the rule of 10. If the first cop asks for $10 and you balk to ask to see his boss, his boss will ask for $100, on up the chain.
I was pulled over in the Philippines by the police because I almost drove down the wrong side of the road. He took my driver's license and walked off with it. I sat in my car and pulled out my wallet and my wife took ou some money. She got out of the car and tracked down the cop . She had negotiated what my "fine" was and she paid it and returned with my driver's license.
In 1995 I was doing U.S. government work in Cambodia. A few Phnom Penh police officers with Ak-47s had set up a road block near the citie's center. I was traveling on a motocycle and quickly handed one of the officers a one U.S. dollar bill. He allowed me to proceed. I always keep small bills at the ready for instances such as this. My real cash was in the bottom of my shoe.
Yes Lagos, Nigeria. While driving Police will stop you adhoc...if they see you are European foreigner and they give the amount you have to pay. Was walking with a local on Lekki beach...also stopped and fined. The local handled the situation because I had no cash on me. Fortunate to get out of that sticky situation. I was in Lagos for work. Would not advise going there. 💫 Also have other examples, in Zimbabwe and South Africa, but rather not share it: Do your research before you travel and take warnings seriously. 🌿
My friends were in a Mexican tourist town and got pulled over on their rented scooters and the police accused them of driving while intoxicated. The police told them that the fine was $400 and they could pay their fines directly to the cops in cash. The cops then took my friends to the nearest ATM and the maximum they could get from the ATM just coincidentally happened to be exactly $400. They paid their fines in cash and the cops took them back to their scooters and let them drive away. Welcome to Mexico. Vaya Con Dios!
Ah back then in Malaysia, I was driving with my mates someday with windows down casually passing thru, and suddenly two police officers approached my car from behind, with motorcycles and signalled me to pull over. So I did just that and these two officers did routine checks and asked for our smartphones for inspection (Malaysia I think police do have rights to search for contents inside phone), and they searched thru my albums, messaging apps etc. They aren’t happy, so they demanded and escorted us to go to their police booth (not police station) for further inspection. Inside there there are several police officers inside the police booth (I think 5), further interrogation has been done for me and my mate, but these police officers are not satisfied and not releasing us (we have done nothing wrong and we are not arrested), until they said the magic words “how do you want to settle?” to us. So we had to surrender all of our cash and divide for every police officers there on the spot, in Malaysia we said “duit kopi” literally means “coffee money”, only after that we were allowed to leave. Horrible day.
Cops here in northern europe are mostly not corrupt - but asking how to pay the fine would not get you into trouble while also being a positive experience for the officer. So safe and might even work with the new breed of cops coming in.
Thank you!! I ordered the book, pen, and the monthly subscription with CD's and physical news letter every month..I do not like getting books online and having it on my phone...I rather the physical book and CDs...I'm excited to watch and learn any and every thing I can from the seminar CDs..I am usually a cautious person about ordering anything from online or you tube.. But I am really interested and excited to read and learn about safety for me and my family and a lot of other things that are in the CDs,I know they are going to be so helpful ...
It's funny that in the video you showed Chicago police. Years ago, I lived in Chicago and cops would stop people and ask them for lunch money. Usually there was no violation involver. However, if you refused to pay them they made up some charges. It happened to me when I was much older. I refused to pay them and the hell broke lose, but that's a story for a different occasion. In Mexico I faced similar situation, but I told the cops that I was afraid to pay them directly. They told me to get out of the car and leave the money on the seat. After they picked up the cash, they asked me if I knew the city? They were nice guys, but money hungry.
I had an incident in Peru several years ago that required just a $100 bill to resolve... this was in Lima as borders were closing and dealing with a self proclaimed crooked cop... could have been just a thug. However time was short to get out of country.
When I was in sales I always carried a thousand dollars I would carry $300 on my person and the rest is hidden someplace in my car. I had a large travel territory in the Northern US and in the winter the roads were treacherous and there was a good possibility of running in the ditch. If you run into the ditch and called a wrecker, they would always call the police, and the next thing you know the cop shows up and asks, "have you been drinking." I always carried an air compressor, jumper cables, and a heavy-duty tow strap. If you had some money on you, you had all sorts of options. Most truckers or farmers would gladly pull you out for a C note. This only applies if there was no other vehicle involved or no property damage.
Just curious Jason, where did you get your information that Nigeria had the most corrupt cops in the world and Denmark had the least? Great video by the way.
Hey Jason. Do you have a video on your trucks? I’m sure u have some info to share with us on how to be safe in our vehicles, bug outs, bulletproofing, etc
Cicero said, to hide you must be a pebble among the pebbles - nothing has changed. I knew a woman that took a train out of German occupied Poland, just after their invasion. She got tired. Another woman insisted she use her pillow to relax, and inside the stiff pillow she could sense that there were bundles of papers. So always be on guard, and get away from threats without exposing yourself, or at least minimize the effect.
I bribed my way though customs in Iraq. The guys I was traveling with decided to dress like surfer bums, 5.11 tuxedo guys, or tactical Timmies (including one guy with a "Pork Eating Crusader patch on his backpack. I wore a slacks and a long sleeve button down dress shirt. Gave them my passport with some cash inside and was through customs in ten minutes. Everyone else took over an hour. By the time they got done I had secured everyone's luggage, chased off the airport staff looking to rifle through the bags, and was waiting on our transport.
With what's just happened in Canada (Trudeau freezing bank accounts) I'm almost at the point of doing all my transactions in cash with little cash in the bank. (It's like in Mexico, not IF but WHEN - Mr T will do it again.)
That is just insane. He’s an absolute scum bag, your Trudeau. I remember buying his book way back in college. I though he was thins amazing guy, doing great things. Now I can’t believe what’s all come out about him. And you all are getting your bank accounts frozen? Unreal.
I was leaving a grocery story in The Hague Netherlands several years ago, got to the cashier and offered to pay in cash. "Sorry sir, we only take cards."
Done that many times. Be polite and "friendly." Right on: "How do I pay this fine?" Once the cop acted stupid "ahhhh... ummmm..." I added, since he had seen my license, "Since I don't know where to pay... What if I pay you, and give you a little extra to go pay it for me?" Gave him $10 and I was gone. He pulled me for some invented crap, that I exited an establishment and my turn invaded the other lane, when there were no markings anywhere on the road to start with. Lesson though, do what other cars do that is logical and cautious as normal, when possible, if not, be very conservative when driving.
When I flew into S Africa I brought a pocket full of $5 dollar bills as the airport police are really corrupt, (but easily bought.) They even had signs everywhere saying not to pay police officers as they were trying to stop police corruption. Being that we were traveling through SA with guns made it even more difficult. The SAPS handle the transfer of your weapons and make sure they get loaded onto the planes so when they ask "do you have any tips for us", I gladly hit everyone in sight with a five dollar bill to make sure everything went smoothly.
This will work in many countries in Africa. Im from South Africa. Over here atleast there stil are some honest cops, but the rest of Africa not so much
I love watching your videos and hope I never have to use any of the techniques. I wish I could get my wife to buy in, but she has blinders on. Almost every day there is a shooting or violent crime where we live, but she is resistant to preventive measures. Any suggestions? (New wife? lol!)
A member of my staff has dual citizenship. He drove into Mexico in his BMW and got stopped as he approached the Mexi side of the border at San Ysidro. He didn't have the requisite "fine" on him so they escorted him to an atm at a 7-11 so he could pay the fine on the never quite explained traffic violation. My Mexican colleague has some choice words for Mexico when he got to work.
I did this in Playa del Carmen MX. I mistakenly make a turn down a one way street and got stopped by a moto cop. He wanted to have me follow him back to the station to pay the fine. I suggested that he deliver the fine for me, as I was trying to make a dinner engagement. $20usd got the job done. That guy was my friend the rest of the time I was in town.
Years ago knew 3 of 4 Pan Am employees in Tijuana. Busted for drunk & disorder 4th went to police station to get his buddies out. He Had to give up his gold chain to desk sgt. I’m going back 35 years. Lol
When I went to Baja I had money stashed all over the truck. The new owner will probably find some money I forgot about. Those trucks look like pretty good Baja Bombers.
I lived in Mexico for awhile for Professional training. The Student Visa took Forever to revalidate! In FACT: The only way to do Clinical rotations back in the States, was to use an Illegal Tourist Pass, so that the FM9 student visa Never expired. DISGUSTING!! You couldn't Ever do Anything by the Book down there. My folks made me register my car legally (the vast majority of my classmates used a tourist sticker...drove to the Border every three months, and changed the sticker before it expired.) ME?? I do things by the numbers, pay $600 for a Fianza in One government office. But, the Bastards in Transito, the other office that issues the actual permit, stonewalled me and jerked me around for weeks. One time, I let the "Proroga" expire, and the Witchy receptionist told me I'd have to pay a fine. "Okay" I thought: "How BAD could it BE?" So...the Federali who was a Guard there, took my keys, drove the car into a fenced-in area, and the Head Cheese there, stated, with a straight face: "100% of the value of the car." It was a year-old model, so what he Really quoted was the price down in Mexico, so it was actually more like 150% of the value of the car. I had my Mexican Lawyer navigate things, (they said Twenty percent, the minute he walked in the door) and, eventually got the car back for "only" the $300 legal fee I paid the lawyer. Undoubtedly, some of that was used for bribes. The Lawyer suggested I buy them all a case of JV Whiskey as a Holiday gift, which I did. They then said they wanted to make me a Citizen of Mexico. Didn't LAST too long, though.
Keep money in various places? Absolutely! Whenever I travel, I carry money in my shoes, socks, and various other places. Whenever I travel to an unfamiliar city, I keep cash hidden, and avoid arriving at night. You never know if your credit cards might get stolen, so I hide enough cash to buy a ticket home. But don't have cash in your sock at the airport, that might show up in the scanner and make them suspicious.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to bribe a corrupt police officer? Share your story below 👇
My wife and I were in Mexico (Tulum) 2 months ago. The main street with all of the restaurants, bars, shops etc was setup to where it was a one way, but there were no signs telling anyone that thisw was a one way street. Therefore, since its a heavy tourist area, the locals knew it was a one way but tourists didn't. Needless to say this street is a trap setup by corrupt Mexican police to pull over and shake down tourists going the wrong direction.
One Sunday, we were riding down the street and got pulled over, not knowing that this was a one way. The cops said to me "This is a one way" and asked for my identification. I then politely asked them "Where are the signs showing that it is a one way?" They looked at me and laughed, and refused to answer me.
I quickly recognized the situation and realized that this was a tourist trap that the Mexican police put in place in order to shakedown tourists.
Long story short, the cop said I owed a $100 fine. I told the police officer that I would be happy to pay it, and I would follow him to the police station in order to pay it.
He stopped and was completely caught off guard. He was expecting me to simply pay him right then and there. However, since I asked to follow him, he whispered something to his partner, handed me my ID card and told me that I was free to go without paying a fine.
I drove down a couple more blocks and there were literally dozens of cops randomly pulling over a bunch of tourists on the same street. They had set it up to where they knew the time of day they would do a coordinated shakedown.
Moral of the story is, having this knowledge works like crazy.
Thanks Jason for the training!
@@SocialEP Powerful story and a very true one. I could give you 100 stories like this. All too common. Thanks for sharing.
@@JasonHansonSpyBriefing I've heard of this happening here in the good old USA, though it's usually antecedents about small town corrupt sheriffs or big city street cops. The "one way" sign is there--obscured by a tree.
Fictionally speaking, a carton of Marlboro Reds is like gold in Eastern European countries circa mid to late '90's. So I've read.
Most corrupt cops want to feel 'helpful' so if you were to say "Can you please help me with this?" it might be some icing on the cake where they might reduce the 'fine' even more. Best thing to do is to travel with a local and safety in numbers.
Your line “Here in the states, not somewhere dangerous…”. made me chuckle 😂
Yeah! Me too!
The summer of 2005, I got pulled over on I-90 in Montana. Family vacation, my youngest son was 4 and got sick in the car. We were on our way to Little Bighorn and were about 15 miles away so I sped up (about 10 above limit). I got pulled over maybe 5 minutes after he got sick, so the stench was everywhere. Officer didn't care. What shocked me though was that instead of writing me a ticket, he wanted $80 bucks on the spot. So if people tell me that it only happens in Mexico don't believe it.
Are you Black or White?
@@markjakker2091 White
Reason I asked is 97% of folks up there are White, then it's Native American
It’s so you don’t flee over the State border
I lived off of I-90. There's the sheriff's office in Superior.
I was stopped and robbed by a Georgia state trooper in 1992 when I was driving from Florida to Canada. He asked me how much American money I had in my wallet and then wrote a speeding ticket to match that amount. If I didn't pay cash, then I would spend the weekend in jail. I have not returned to Georgia since that crime was committed.
Police in Illinois stopped my best friend's brother and his wife on a highway coming back to Iowa from their wedding. The police forced them to open their gifts and go through the cards and give them all the money they found. I was on the same highway on a weekend trip and was stopped. Due to the credit card effect I had no cash. They had me stand by the highway suggested traffic violations and insinuated worse. They searched me. They went through my luggage. They searched the car thoroughly, even taking apart parts that detached. One of the cop sarcastically complained that I traveled light and he could not believe it. Unlike my friend's brother, I managed to leave without a ticket and without losing money - although I lost a couple of hours of time. I read later that someone on the same highway had filed a criminal complaint in a Federal court against the officers. Apparently that person had lost ten thousand dollars.
@@hhf39p Armed robbery
@@hhf39p there was a couple of people who went to a star trek convention in st. louis and were stopped by the police in illinois going home and had the car searched and they brought the dog and dog the dog to signal for drugs (which they didnt have). It was on the news and the video is probably still on youtube.
@@Durmomo0 I do not know what they said as a reason to my friends brother. They did mention drugs as a reason for holding me. I am a very boring person and never have had any such thing. The reason they gave for holding the man's 10k appears to be the same, that they thought it was drug money.
It reminds me of the case of Linda Martin. The FBI closed a savings and loan and kept all the cash found in the safe deposit boxes. Linda Martin has been asking for her money back for years. My first reaction was to think there must be more to the story, but after our experience with the highway police it seems more believable. That will come up a Google search.
It could be worse. Sandra Bland ended up dead after not going along with a traffic stop, though she was unarmed. That is also on Google.
Then there is all the attorney corruption in the U.S. In a sense US corruption is worse, because no on really believes it. What would cost 20 bucks in Mexico for asking if the policeman can help a person out and take care of it, can cost thousands in attorneys fees over years. Unlike Mexico, in the US there is a belief that corruption does not exist, so no one will believe a victim nor help out.
Ok friend, jail me!
When I was a kid, my family lived in Mexico for a year and we encountered corruption a few times. In addition to the “cop writing bogus ticket” issue (and taking a bribe), one of the other issues we encountered was at the gas stations. My dad, being a high school teacher, was observant. He sometimes saw the gas station attendant squirting the gasoline on the ground intentionally rather than filling the tank, which I presume was because the attendant wasn’t a fan of Americans. Of course, the plan was to charge my dad for the spilled gas. He’d catch them in the act and thwart their plans. My dad especially loved working with the so-called “troubled kids” at school, and he said that they often just needed someone to listen to their problems and take time with them and to respect them. In addition to making their lives better, he also got to understand how they operated, lol, and he was very watchful for misdeeds during classes. That watchfulness helped while we were in Mexico, and although corruption was rampant, we loved the Mexican citizens. Really good people.
Spraying gas on the ground? He can't reuse that gasoline, what's more it pollutes his station and creates a hazard.
@@bluest1524 Sounds like he did it just because he hated Americans. Wasn't scamming, just wasting gringo money on spilled gasoline.
It’s a sh-t hole
I have a Mexican penpal, sweetest, most kind-hearted woman I've ever 'met' 🥰🥰🥰🥰
My first time in Tiajuana with my father as an adult, we went into a cantina and my father told me to give the Federalé $10.00. I asked him why. He told me when I get into a fight it'll be the other guys fault. It worked. My father knew I'd get into a fight (over the worm, of course ) and he didn't want other complications. I won the fight and stayed out of jail. Good night for me!
Haha nice
My first time overseas my buddy and I got jammed up by some police claiming to be doing vehicle inspections on a very long dark desert road ,We noticed the older officer had his hand out, my buddy handed him an ID and under the ID was $100.. the ID was handed back and the bill vanished like a magic trick, we were told the road was dangerous, and they gave us an escort to town..
Over the worm? Why? Because hallucinogenic?
@@JimD77 the worm is his penis I’d assume, most like in a dispute over a female. 😂
I have a shady neighbor (not really a criminal - just a partier) here in baja who always goes and takes a gift to the local police jefe wherever he's going to be spending any time.
In the Philippines if you get a traffic violation. You just ask for a warning on the violation and hire them for an escort to some place wuth a short distance. Paying them to take you somewhere vs outright bribing good cops works.
Yep, in 1990 I was in TJ and hot shook down by local cops. I was deployed a lot and was already in the habit of distributing my cash in about 5 different locations on my body. I knew I had $40 in my left front pocket so I I asked who I could pay my fine to. Of course the cops said I could pay him. I held up the $40 and told him that was all I had. Magically, my fine was $40.
There are very few jams that a handful of cash won't solve
Jaywalking on Revolution Blvd in 1992, although we were in the crosswalk with a bunch of other people, but had that short haircut. The "fine" was $60.00 each, even though there were 100 people crossing the street all around us in the crosswalk. Also the cop took my friends Rolex (fake). I never went back. We started going to Mission Beach and La Jolla instead.
Solid advice. I was 4wheeling and got high centered. Hiked to the main road called a tow truck. Driver said he wasn’t going back “there" called it in to the dispatcher he said "this ain’t a tow this is a recovery I don’t do recoveries” $100 did the trick.
I learned about police bribing and corruption when I went to Honduras at age 11. I watched how my dad talked charismatically and got us out of trouble by giving money and even a very fancy pen. They loved the pen!
Whenever I travel abroad I always suspect that the police are corrupt and a little money goes a long way
I've been living in Southern Thailand with my Thai wife and two children for several years. We were on a trip in Bangkok when a cop stepped out in front of my truck and waved me over. He said I had made an illegal lane change on the bridge we had just come over (I hadn't changed lanes). He starts to write me a ticket, and I asked him where we had to pay for it. He gave me five minutes worth of directions to a place we would never find. I told him we were in a hurry and asked if we could pay the fine here with him. 500 Baht (about 15 USD) later we were on our way. We always carry cash in several places.
I was robbed by a CIA spy who claimed he needed my concert ticket to follow a suspect into the venue. I was suspicious and called the police and he was arrested in my seat watching the concert. It was the Micheal Jackson concert and I was 14. Turns out he wasn't really a spy ;).
Got a big chuckle watching this one by Jason!. I have been living as an expat in LatinAm almost 25 years, a lot of that in chaotic corrupt messy Venezuela....being prepared for a stop by excessively curious, hungry or broke cops is part of daily preparedness + OPSEC....having a good cover story (backed up by convincing truthful evidence), friends in high places, and a bit of helpful "donation cash" has really worked well for me.
Stay safe, Peter.
I always give them cops a bit for there morning coffee ahahaha
@@nickgerr1991 it really is a good strategy to keep them out of your hair, as well as an opportunity for gaining a contact for some odd jobs or errands. (Many cops here hire themselves out as private security guards offering " protection" to local shops or as motorcycle security escorts).
@@peterbehringer63 I've been told in small villes if you're simply looking to chill, it's adviseable upon arrival to go seek the local leo and ask the cheif where you go to contribute to the mayor's benevolence fund.
@@philipkeeler9997 hehehe ..holds true here...the twist here is that here in VZLA the local head honcho could be somewhat roguish political leader linked to the Maduro regime, or more remote rural areas, a paramilitary gang .boss that controls the zone.
I live in the UK and will be going overseas to the USA this year. Thank you so much for this advice, much appreciated.
Things here in the US used to be a little different. Back in the '70's I actually used a similar line to 'pay the fine' for a minor possession charge (which would have lead to a much larger charge...) but that was long ago.
More recently I accidentally rolled forward into a vehicle in a company van, this was rather a junker of a pickup I bumped, really no new damage and just a small ping on my front bumper. This, if reported, would have lead to a big headache from management as they take it like a federal crime.
Guy gets out looking angry, I get out playing the 'I'm so sorry, totally my fault, blah blah', quickly defuse the anger, but he's still debating whether to report it.
I pointed out that his plate was hanging by one screw and he had a cracked tail light lens. Told him, 'that may have been my fault, will $50 cover it?'. He was so shocked with the $50 bill I handed him, he just stammered 'yeah, yeah, sure..' took it and left.
I know good and well I didn't damage this truck, it was just worth it to me as I really didn't need the headache. Worked a couple hours OT that week and forgot about it.
And No, no one ever noticed the small dent on my vans' bumper.
Good advice you give BTW.
Thank You
Great tips my friend, thank you for sharing. 😮
Thank you for watching too Ronald!
I live in baja, Mexico. I had a cop stop me and said "you were going very fast. The fine is $50, but not to worry, I can take your payment to the judge for you." I said "do you think the judge would take $20?" "Si, I think he'd be fine with that." Lol! I now carry 2 wallets. My bait wallet has $20 in it, so I can just show the cop that's all I have. One tip is to stall, stall, stall. If they get impatient for the amount of money they think they can get, they'll often get frustrated and give up.
Great advice not just for MX but also for any country when traveling.
Something similar happened to me in Honduras in the 80s. I went the wrong way on a one way street and a traffic cop got in the car with me. He had me driving around randomly, threatening to take me to the police station, and giving me lots of hints on why he needed money. I played the dumb American and stalled, stalled and stalled. Finally I offered him $5 which he happily took and quickly got out of my car!!😅😅😅
I grew up in the desert SW, which is why I would have let that truck pass without seeing me, and finished the solo hike back to the car. It is generally a good practice to keep to yourself unless you actually need help.
Spain - Italy - France - Germany - Belgium - Austria - Netherlands - Switzerland - Denmark - UK - Ireland - Norway - Sweden - Finland (all in Europe)
If you show a bill to a police officer in those countries you are going to get arrested 99.99% of the time
If you had a TLDR story for why Europe ended up with such values compared to the americas/asia, what would it be?
@@94D33M in poorer countries corruption on the street level is ubiquitous. In rich countries corruption also thrives but on higher levels, like distribution of state contracts for infrastructure maintenance, adjusting legislation for the convenience of some interested parties, etc.
It's not wealth follows culture, it's other way around.
I always carry cash. I have had past issues where I needed help and the tow service would only take cash. Since then, I always carry cash. Cash is king. The amount I carry wouldn't harm my life if I lost all of it. I do like your idea of splitting it up.
I was in downtown Seattle in the early 2000's. "Female" police officer was in the street directing traffic as everyone was trying to get out of downtown at the end of the day.
This was pre COVID and nobody worked from home back then, everyone commuted. She waved me over and asked me why I did not obey her hand signals. I had no idea she was communicating with me since I did not even see her amidst all the traffic. I told her, sorry I did not even see you. She lost it. She did not like that I was making a left at an intersection and then immediately got right as soon as I completed the left turn, so that I could get into the right lane that I needed to be in to merge onto Interstate-5 South. She started pounding on my window and screaming at me,"You F-ing tell me why I should not give you a ticket right now! You tell me! Now"! I just smiled and starred her right in the eye, and let the clock run out; because behind us and on the left and right traffic was building exponentially and people were honking and driving around us, yelling "get out of the way". She finally screamed, "get out of my sight"! Although there was no corruption or money involved, I thought the story deserved to be shared. I moved away from that looney bin.
I was in Seattle about twenty years ago. Pretty much the same story only it was a guy. Young, obviously new to the force, and a head full of arrogance. I got out of it on the scene.
Cool story bro. So you created traffic because you werent paying attention, and this story has nothing to do with the video.
Plenty of corrupt police in the US as well. The police department in Kendleton, TX was disbanded after the feds caught them taking bribes in traffic stops. They were notorious to the Houston area residents. If I wanted to drive south on 59, I just adjusted my route to avoid Kendleton. In Surfside, TX, we were parking on the beach and didn't see the tiny sign on the beach entrance that we needed a permit. So, beach patrol was ever so willing to sell us a permit and, "pay the fine" on spot. Permit was $35, "fine" was $50. Oh yeah, cash.
Having said that, I had a buddy who is a legal citizen of the US, who used to drive to his house in Mexico. He told me he always took just enough cash to "pay the fine" but not so much cash he'd just get robbed and killed.
Excellent tip. Even if you’re being shuttled by your hotel shuttle take cash. They are not immune to shake downs .It happened to me, all the passengers had to pass the hat to pay the “fine”.
A sketchy double stop sign caused me to get pulled over in Mexico. $26 in cash in one pocket, i opened and emptied (separate from my wallet, and cash stashed in 2 different places in my car) was enough “to take care of the ticket there”, although he did initially tell me I could pay at the station. For convenience, my cash spoke the language well enough.
Another good video from Jason 😂
absolutely positively take this message to heart. been there (Mexico ..& places) done that. they're not totally dumb. "how do I pay the fine?" ..a top strategy. in a shakedown they'll assume you have backup cash and try to get at it. they want to get at the next victim so time in on your side. you let them find the deliberately limited backup cash should it be necessary. they'll feel smart and leave without taking more time to search. you really had the serious backup for the backup in a hard to reach place while getting to survive ok 🙂once free, you rearrange to again have a bit in your pocket, limited backup in your pack or whatever, then the majority still hidden well ..to be ready for the next encounter. a great vid here where I cannot disagree with any of it 😎
Thank you!
Been to Mexico many times. Never been shaken down by cops or robbed. And I've been in touristy places and non touristy places. Great video great tips. Keep up the good work
Damn, you're lucky. Cartel is everywhere
I’ve been going to TJ for like Two years now and just got shaken down for $80 last month
@x I've been to Mexico bruh. I have family there and in Central America.
You are lucky. If u regularly go to Mexico or take a long drive on their high ways u will be stopped......As Jason says it will be some bs reason. I had a customer who regularly drove from Texas to mexico and back. He would get stopped several times each trip. He said the cops were so poorly paid just $10 would usually allow him to continue on his way. He used to keep cash under the seat of his truck in a cigar box. He would have two $10 bills to n his wallet. Thecfop
I may have missed your general guide to interacting with officials world-wide, but cultures differ around the world. My story is not a bribery story but in Narita International I made a cultural faux pas and was in the process of being strip-searched prior to arrest by an airport police officer. My crime? When I asked if I had drugs or guns, I looked the Japanese police officer right in the eye and said, "No sir, none of the above." He immediately became angry. His supervisor came over to see what the fuss was all about, looked at my passport, and while I didn't understand Japanese (beyond my Berlitz phrase book) I suddenly realized that I was a victim of culture clash. In the USA, averting gaze (failing meet law enforcement gaze) is read as deceptive behavior. In Japan, that's respectful. I had inadvertently challenged that Japanese policeman's authority. Worse, I should have known better. I was working in the Middle East at the time.
Perception of disrespect is disrespect. What would be felony bribery of a law enforcement officer in the United States could simply be a respectful "tip" much like tipping a waiter in the restaurant. I've used a number of travel guides in the past and one thing missing from most is how to interact with police--what's the expected conduct, what's out of line legally IN THAT TIME AND PLACE. My
"no deception" message was interpreted as a challenge to the policeman's status and I was fortunate--a supervisor intervened. Even in America, once a law enforcement officer has crossed a certain line, follow-up is required. Traffic stops routinely (depends on agency rules) includes a follow-up report of some type--the cop has to articulate a reason why YOU got stopped and interrogated.
Do you have a guide on this? Is it something that can be done in a five-minute video? Simple packing tips so that the contents of checked baggage don't result in having the bag dumped on the floor and the lining ripped out is one example. Compression bags may be mistaken for drug packaging--when it was just a compact way to store socks!
This is a great suggestion. Yes, everything varies depending on where you are in the world. It's challenging and should be one of the things that should be studied prior to going. Glad you ended up okay in Japan. I'll have my team take a look and see how this could fit in to the content. Thanks again.
Alan Cranford.
When you got asked if you had drugs and guns on you, I think that you got angry and upset, and were staring at that japanese police officer with hostility and that you tried to act tough.
@@hieveryone.8508 Could be--but in Japan it's customary to show respect by lowering one's gaze. Police attitudes throughout Asia uniformly regard "civilians" as beneath the policeman.
@Alan Cranford In India...no Rules..... what he says is the law. They feel exactly like they are much above the law and normal people are slaves to them. They will beat people on the road, if a vendor refused to pay his daily evening bribe....they will flog him right there.... nobody will ask.... and no senior will step into the situation etc..... unless your a foreigner maybe. They regularly beat people to death and claim it as a lock up suicide.
This happened when I crossed the Canadian border! Female guard said "Look me in the eyes" and I was super annoyed as I don't read minds.
Love the Cornerstone festival shirt on the driver😀. JPUSA is still helping people get off the street through jobs, rooms, etc. No festival has ever been as unique and fantastic either. Loving your channel
Your friend met the same cop in Mexico I did. Exactly same words, except he asked me how much money I needed to get home, and gave that back to me. Another line we use in foreign countries is, “I’m not going to be here very long, can you pay the fine for me?” But usually they are not shy in demanding the money.
I have been asked by people all the time why do you carry cash. And I have to explain my reasons. Cash is KING
That's why all people should say no to a cashless society.
Those same corrupt police are right here in Canada as well.
They are corrupt and you are guilty of a crime, they will charge you and once they charge you you have to go to court to prove your not the guy thay say, that costs money.
Was in Playa Del Carmen Mexico, heading to Cancun to catch a flight, I was speeding, luggage was visible (the SUV had clear windows and we had lots of luggage). Yo no hablo but my wife is Mexican and not demur... anyways had to pay $100 or would have had to show up to court the next day. My wife's take on it was the only reason he stopped us that the luggage was visible and he knew we had a flight to catch.
That would work in WV. Can not even begin to explain how corrupt our police dept is/are/always have been/always will be.
WV - that's where Russian bots live!
@@lugalzagissi lolol ya got me
Thanks for that good reminder advice..you never know!!🙏
You're welcome, thanks for the support.
Colombian Cops usually highball with their first request. You can always reduce it down to about 10% by saying you will plead not guilty. These cops only earn about $350 a month so they are happy to settle for $10-$15. The problem is when you are innocent they can still hold you up to 24-48 hours. However, they will almost never call for back up or take you to the station because then they have to split the bribe. They will typically detain you for 50-90 minutes.
Living in Brazil and Panama for 14 years, I had a number of occasions to deal with corrupt cops. I took care not to antagonize the cops (which could be dangerous...) but I only rarely paid a bribe. Mostly I just acted like a clueless gringo and pretended not to understand what the cop was asking about (though I speak fluent Spanish and Portuguese).
I also learned to keep my cash hidden and not in my wallet, so I could display my open wallet and say the cop could have my last few dollars, but 'that's all I've got'. Once, after nabbing me for a rather ingloriously small bribe, a traffic cop demanded that I also hand over a six-pack of coke sitting in my car next to me. To avoid a traffic ticket or worse, I was happy to give up the sodas.
On balance, I would never advise arguing with overseas cops or decrying their efforts to extract a bribe, as that might land you in real trouble. But a bit of preparation can make a possible interaction with bent cops a lot less challenging and risky.
Having local knowledge helps a lot. In Cambodia for example the phrase to use is "for coffee". Also remember the rule of 10. If the first cop asks for $10 and you balk to ask to see his boss, his boss will ask for $100, on up the chain.
I was pulled over in the Philippines by the police because I almost drove down the wrong side of the road. He took my driver's license and walked off with it. I sat in my car and pulled out my wallet and my wife took ou some money. She got out of the car and tracked down the cop . She had negotiated what my "fine" was and she paid it and returned with my driver's license.
Got a cheque book now
In 1995 I was doing U.S. government work in Cambodia. A few Phnom Penh police officers with Ak-47s had set up a road block near the citie's center. I was traveling on a motocycle and quickly handed one of the officers a one U.S. dollar bill. He allowed me to proceed. I always keep small bills at the ready for instances such as this. My real cash was in the bottom of my shoe.
Sometimes in South Carolina you can ask how you can pay the fine and $100 was the exact fine that was needed to be paid
Yes Lagos, Nigeria. While driving Police will stop you adhoc...if they see you are European foreigner and they give the amount you have to pay. Was walking with a local on Lekki beach...also stopped and fined. The local handled the situation because I had no cash on me. Fortunate to get out of that sticky situation. I was in Lagos for work. Would not advise going there. 💫 Also have other examples, in Zimbabwe and South Africa, but rather not share it: Do your research before you travel and take warnings seriously. 🌿
My friends were in a Mexican tourist town and got pulled over on their rented scooters and the police accused them of driving while intoxicated. The police told them that the fine was $400 and they could pay their fines directly to the cops in cash. The cops then took my friends to the nearest ATM and the maximum they could get from the ATM just coincidentally happened to be exactly $400. They paid their fines in cash and the cops took them back to their scooters and let them drive away. Welcome to Mexico. Vaya Con Dios!
Nice to know at least some people still believe in doing research.
There's plenty of them over here in UK
Great video Jason, thanx for your knowledge. I think ill stay close by,lol. No traveling for me. God bless.
Ah back then in Malaysia, I was driving with my mates someday with windows down casually passing thru, and suddenly two police officers approached my car from behind, with motorcycles and signalled me to pull over. So I did just that and these two officers did routine checks and asked for our smartphones for inspection (Malaysia I think police do have rights to search for contents inside phone), and they searched thru my albums, messaging apps etc. They aren’t happy, so they demanded and escorted us to go to their police booth (not police station) for further inspection. Inside there there are several police officers inside the police booth (I think 5), further interrogation has been done for me and my mate, but these police officers are not satisfied and not releasing us (we have done nothing wrong and we are not arrested), until they said the magic words “how do you want to settle?” to us. So we had to surrender all of our cash and divide for every police officers there on the spot, in Malaysia we said “duit kopi” literally means “coffee money”, only after that we were allowed to leave. Horrible day.
Cops here in northern europe are mostly not corrupt - but asking how to pay the fine would not get you into trouble while also being a positive experience for the officer. So safe and might even work with the new breed of cops coming in.
I could watch this allll day
Thank you!! I ordered the book, pen, and the monthly subscription with CD's and physical news letter every month..I do not like getting books online and having it on my phone...I rather the physical book and CDs...I'm excited to watch and learn any and every thing I can from the seminar CDs..I am usually a cautious person about ordering anything from online or you tube.. But I am really interested and excited to read and learn about safety for me and my family and a lot of other things that are in the CDs,I know they are going to be so helpful ...
Thats great. Enjoy the info, you will learn a lot. Thank you for the support 🇺🇸
It's funny that in the video you showed Chicago police. Years ago, I lived in Chicago and cops would stop people and ask them for lunch money. Usually there was no violation involver. However, if you refused to pay them they made up some charges. It happened to me when I was much older. I refused to pay them and the hell broke lose, but that's a story for a different occasion. In Mexico I faced similar situation, but I told the cops that I was afraid to pay them directly. They told me to get out of the car and leave the money on the seat. After they picked up the cash, they asked me if I knew the city? They were nice guys, but money hungry.
Very true that's one of the reasons I always carry cash 👍🙏
I had an incident in Peru several years ago that required just a $100 bill to resolve... this was in Lima as borders were closing and dealing with a self proclaimed crooked cop... could have been just a thug. However time was short to get out of country.
"Hey how can I bribe you now to get out of this" 😂😂
I watched all of this presentation .
When I was in sales I always carried a thousand dollars I would carry $300 on my person and the rest is hidden someplace in my car. I had a large travel territory in the Northern US and in the winter the roads were treacherous and there was a good possibility of running in the ditch. If you run into the ditch and called a wrecker, they would always call the police, and the next thing you know the cop shows up and asks, "have you been drinking." I always carried an air compressor, jumper cables, and a heavy-duty tow strap. If you had some money on you, you had all sorts of options. Most truckers or farmers would gladly pull you out for a C note. This only applies if there was no other vehicle involved or no property damage.
Just curious Jason, where did you get your information that Nigeria had the most corrupt cops in the world and Denmark had the least? Great video by the way.
Love the t-shirt!
Hey Jason. Do you have a video on your trucks? I’m sure u have some info to share with us on how to be safe in our vehicles, bug outs, bulletproofing, etc
Cicero said, to hide you must be a pebble among the pebbles - nothing has changed. I knew a woman that took a train out of German occupied Poland, just after their invasion. She got tired. Another woman insisted she use her pillow to relax, and inside the stiff pillow she could sense that there were bundles of papers. So always be on guard, and get away from threats without exposing yourself, or at least minimize the effect.
That was great; thanks; gonna go break into my neighbors place like you did with your brother
Nice one.
Wtf with that LiC plate. 😂😂😂
My man Eazy -E kept his cash In His sock. 👍
Love the two 12 valves 🙂 and the 23 on your shirt is telling
I bribed my way though customs in Iraq. The guys I was traveling with decided to dress like surfer bums, 5.11 tuxedo guys, or tactical Timmies (including one guy with a "Pork Eating Crusader patch on his backpack. I wore a slacks and a long sleeve button down dress shirt. Gave them my passport with some cash inside and was through customs in ten minutes. Everyone else took over an hour. By the time they got done I had secured everyone's luggage, chased off the airport staff looking to rifle through the bags, and was waiting on our transport.
Even in the US some cops are corrupt. I had a Chicago cop ask for my cup of change in my car and said I really should carry more cash on me.
That's embarrassing.
Of course they're corrupt, they shoot people for no reason.
you have to be making that up
@@kennypowers2341 The late 80s and early 90s were a diffferent time. Not sure how old you are.
56. Early 90s.
Jason your the juice 😂
Fantastic your ausome Jason 😂
I received that advice also. Also. "I don't live here. Can you help me. Can you take care of this for me?"
I love your channel. Never know when this info can come in handy!
With what's just happened in Canada (Trudeau freezing bank accounts) I'm almost at the point of doing all my transactions in cash with little cash in the bank. (It's like in Mexico, not IF but WHEN - Mr T will do it again.)
Bitcoin!
That is just insane. He’s an absolute scum bag, your Trudeau. I remember buying his book way back in college. I though he was thins amazing guy, doing great things. Now I can’t believe what’s all come out about him. And you all are getting your bank accounts frozen? Unreal.
I was leaving a grocery story in The Hague Netherlands several years ago, got to the cashier and offered to pay in cash. "Sorry sir, we only take cards."
@@hhf39p Maybe they will finally wakeup now, that their government was trying to close 50% of their farms.
@@synewparadigm Ever tried using bitcoin at a convenience store/McDonalds/gas station/etc? Not exactly user friendly "currency".
Good tips, especially about placing cash in different places.
Done that many times. Be polite and "friendly." Right on: "How do I pay this fine?" Once the cop acted stupid "ahhhh... ummmm..." I added, since he had seen my license, "Since I don't know where to pay... What if I pay you, and give you a little extra to go pay it for me?" Gave him $10 and I was gone. He pulled me for some invented crap, that I exited an establishment and my turn invaded the other lane, when there were no markings anywhere on the road to start with. Lesson though, do what other cars do that is logical and cautious as normal, when possible, if not, be very conservative when driving.
Thanks for all your good advice and videos.
When I was in Germany 🇩🇪 I was stopped by police and I got out of my vehicle and arrested them. They now know who I am.
I got out of my vehicle and arrested them - comedy gold
Was it opposite day?
This is good stuff. Some people might not understand.
When I flew into S Africa I brought a pocket full of $5 dollar bills as the airport police are really corrupt, (but easily bought.) They even had signs everywhere saying not to pay police officers as they were trying to stop police corruption. Being that we were traveling through SA with guns made it even more difficult. The SAPS handle the transfer of your weapons and make sure they get loaded onto the planes so when they ask "do you have any tips for us", I gladly hit everyone in sight with a five dollar bill to make sure everything went smoothly.
Can I bring american guns into SA though?
The magic works in South Africa are "Is there any way we can fix this now?"
I live in Southern CA. Used to go to Mexico a lot. About 10 yrs ago, i got the shake down. Havnt been back since. Simply not worth it.
Haha! I paid the fine in Mexico years ago and a different cop tried to get us just as we pulled into the resort, close call.
This will work in many countries in Africa. Im from South Africa. Over here atleast there stil are some honest cops, but the rest of Africa not so much
I love watching your videos and hope I never have to use any of the techniques. I wish I could get my wife to buy in, but she has blinders on. Almost every day there is a shooting or violent crime where we live, but she is resistant to preventive measures. Any suggestions? (New wife? lol!)
A member of my staff has dual citizenship. He drove into Mexico in his BMW and got stopped as he approached the Mexi side of the border at San Ysidro. He didn't have the requisite "fine" on him so they escorted him to an atm at a 7-11 so he could pay the fine on the never quite explained traffic violation. My Mexican colleague has some choice words for Mexico when he got to work.
I did this in Playa del Carmen MX. I mistakenly make a turn down a one way street and got stopped by a moto cop. He wanted to have me follow him back to the station to pay the fine. I suggested that he deliver the fine for me, as I was trying to make a dinner engagement. $20usd got the job done. That guy was my friend the rest of the time I was in town.
Years ago knew 3 of 4 Pan Am employees in Tijuana. Busted for drunk & disorder 4th went to police station to get his buddies out. He Had to give up his gold chain to desk sgt. I’m
going back 35 years. Lol
A lot of corrupt police in the USA too🙄
When I went to Baja I had money stashed all over the truck. The new owner will probably find some money I forgot about. Those trucks look like pretty good Baja Bombers.
I'm German, playing the dumb American works also for me.
let's be clear... you were not in The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria or Switserland.
I recall seeing TJ cops driving a sweet LeMans with the California plates still on it.
I love what you say pretty cool stuff God bless have a great day
Thank you kindly
Thank You! 👍👍
You're welcome.
The story of a cop taking all the cash on hand from a tourist in Mexico also happened to a friend of mine.
I lived in Mexico for awhile for Professional training. The Student Visa took Forever to revalidate! In FACT: The only way to do Clinical rotations back in the States, was to use an Illegal Tourist Pass, so that the FM9 student visa Never expired. DISGUSTING!! You couldn't Ever do Anything by the Book down there. My folks made me register my car legally (the vast majority of my classmates used a tourist sticker...drove to the Border every three months, and changed the sticker before it expired.)
ME?? I do things by the numbers, pay $600 for a Fianza in One government office. But, the Bastards in Transito, the other office that issues the actual permit, stonewalled me and jerked me around for weeks. One time, I let the "Proroga" expire, and the Witchy receptionist told me I'd have to pay a fine. "Okay" I thought: "How BAD could it BE?" So...the Federali who was a Guard there, took my keys, drove the car into a fenced-in area, and the Head Cheese there, stated, with a straight face: "100% of the value of the car." It was a year-old model, so what he Really quoted was the price down in Mexico, so it was actually more like 150% of the value of the car. I had my Mexican Lawyer navigate things, (they said Twenty percent, the minute he walked in the door) and, eventually got the car back for "only" the $300 legal fee I paid the lawyer. Undoubtedly, some of that was used for bribes. The Lawyer suggested I buy them all a case of JV Whiskey as a Holiday gift, which I did. They then said they wanted to make me a Citizen of Mexico.
Didn't LAST too long, though.
dude, in TJ , mex ive been pulled over for the licence plate gag and yes it was 50$
Keep money in various places? Absolutely! Whenever I travel, I carry money in my shoes, socks, and various other places. Whenever I travel to an unfamiliar city, I keep cash hidden, and avoid arriving at night. You never know if your credit cards might get stolen, so I hide enough cash to buy a ticket home. But don't have cash in your sock at the airport, that might show up in the scanner and make them suspicious.
As a criminal drug addict his advice is right on. $100 will get doors opened for you no matter how grimey you are.
Do you have a video where you explain why you keep so much cash on you? Thanks.
This is a very good tip..
Thank you for watching! God bless you!
As Dave Ramsey says, cash is king.
Good video. I deal with this daily. I live in Viet Nam.