Maybe you saw it coming and hoped for the best—or maybe you totally missed the warning signs. Either way, it’s too late now. The travel honeymoon has ended jarringly, leaving you with an empty feeling in the pit of your stomach: You’ve just been scammed.

When traveling, you (and your money) can be easy targets for scammers, especially if you’re in a totally foreign place or don’t speak the language. So, it’s important to learn what to watch out for. Here are four of the most common global scams, and what you need to know to avoid them.

I walked into the office to do my kindest “wai” by folding my hands together and gracefully bowing my head. In the Thai countryside, wai-ing all your colleagues is a way to show respect. Initially, I bowed my head so much, I almost got whiplash; having no idea whom to show honor to, I did it to everyone. Only later did I learn that this is done only to senior colleagues and those older than you.

When you’re an expat working abroad, you quickly come to terms with the fact that office culture in the U.S doesn’t always translate over to your new host country. I’ve spent time as a Fulbright scholar researching in Chiang Mai and later working a fast-paced job in Bangkok. While I’m now back in the States, I still carry with me some powerful career lessons from my time in Thailand that can lead to success anywhere. Here’s what I learned.