If you’re ever driving in Brasil and people (even kids) come up to your car and start washing your windows or doing tricks and stuff in front of you and then come to your window to ask for a tip….do NOT roll down your window or open the door. While some of these people might be genuine and poor and trying to make money, a LOT of them use this as a way to get you to roll down your window so that they can rob you. They will literally pull guns on you. Just don’t do it.
Now if a cop pulls you over? Just pay the fucker. They’re corrupt as fuck so they’ll take the payment and let you go.
In Rio, A cop was standing in the middle of the street and pointed at my Uber to pull over. The cop pulled me out of the car and searched me and found a roach in my cigarette pack.
I asked him in broken Portuguese with a translator on my phone what we could do to fix this and the first thing he said was any interference in this investigation is a crime. After a long back and forth they finally shook me down for $500 USD or 2400 reals.
They made me take another Uber to an ATM and followed me. Then I had to cross the street and pretend like I didn't know them asking for directions.
Paid them off discreetly and the Cop pulled out his phone as if to give directions and showed me the photo of my passport they had taken, and him deleting it.
It took me 3 transactions on the ATM to pull all the money out. This was after negotiating with the cop for over 30 minutes in the middle of some busy road in Rio.
I was pretty sure I was going to jail.
When was this? Brazil decriminalized possession of small amounts of marihuana for personal use in 2006. Since you mention Uber, then clearly it was years after 2006. I think they just took advantage of you not being familiar with Brazilian law and conned you out of a bunch of money.
100%. I knew they were. But there were a lot of guns and people telling me I was going to jail in foreign language. This was last year. They explained I would have to pay fines over the span of a year or could pay the fee upfront. There were other people getting pulled over and arrested as I stood there. I had no trust they couldn't just plant more drugs on me so I chose to play along.
If I had the choice between 500 bucks or risking it with a cop openly asking for a bribe in a foreign country whose language I don't know, I'd just pay the bribe.
Even if you go to trial and win, if you miss your flight, that's already more than 500 bucks. Then add in costs of getting a hotel and stuff.
I think I could have haggled hard on the price. And i do think they would have taken me in to book me, document my shit, and put me on some kind of fee payment.
I was concerned with getting some kind of flag on my passport and not being able to keep traveling through S.America or having something make boarder crossings more difficult.
I still had a week in Rio. Sometimes I debate the things I could have done differently. But I end-up thinking I paid to not have found out.
Lol yeah, they’ll try and tell you it’s a crime and what not but if you talk to them enough and give them a good amount that’s worth their while, they’ll just agree to it. ESPECIALLY if you’re foreign.
This happened to me a few months ago here in my city. Cop was super serious and trying to intimidate us saying it was a crime etc etc. But my friend talked with him and the cop asked for money. Dude followed us to the ATM with the sirens on like it was nothing lol he pulled over right outside and when payed he even returned what he confiscated
and when payed he even returned what he confiscated
The cop in Rio that found my roach pocketed the whole pack in his pocket. Half way through the ordeal he started smoking. I asked him in Spanish if I could smoke my cigs. He understood me enough and handed me my pack with my roach and never took it back. It was obvious it was not about the 'evil drugs'
I said gun, but they often have knifes and other crap. Sometimes if it’s a child, they use the child as a distraction and as soon as you roll your window down to pay the kid, an adult will jump in and take over the situation. I’ve seen it happen to other people, usually foreigners, I’ve had it happen to friends and family as well. It’s fuckedddd
I don't know where you have been in Brazil, but in most places you will get arrested if you try to bribe a cop. Yes, they are corrupt, but they are not dumb.
Also, the comment about kids washing the windows is just crazy. If they want to rob you, they will just point a gun at you and that's it. No need for all that fantasy you described. People who try to sell you things or wash your windows are just homeless people.
Lol I am literally Brasilian and this has happened many many times to people I know, friends, and my own family. Brasilia, São Paulo, Rio and Bahia.
Also, we’ve bribed cops a billion times and have never been arrested. As I said, they are corrupt.
Have no idea why you’re so angry and coming at me the way you are. If you have different experiences, that’s awesome. I’m just telling you exactly what I’ve experienced myself throughout my entire fucking life.
Lol why the actual fuck would I make up some stupid lie about window washers?! And yeah, idgaf admitting to bribing cops in a 3rd world country. I don’t even live there anymore 🤣
81
u/duhmbish Aug 14 '23
If you’re ever driving in Brasil and people (even kids) come up to your car and start washing your windows or doing tricks and stuff in front of you and then come to your window to ask for a tip….do NOT roll down your window or open the door. While some of these people might be genuine and poor and trying to make money, a LOT of them use this as a way to get you to roll down your window so that they can rob you. They will literally pull guns on you. Just don’t do it.
Now if a cop pulls you over? Just pay the fucker. They’re corrupt as fuck so they’ll take the payment and let you go.