Card fraud at the beach ("golpe da maquininha") – what to watch for?

Beach vendors and some taxi drivers use tampered card machines to charge many times the agreed price – e.g. displays that hide the amount, or distraction tricks. In one tourist-police case, a visitor was charged about US$900 for a R$20 drink. Pay cash at the beach and in taxis; otherwise check the amount on the screen and ask for the receipt.

Source: auswaertiges-amt.de