Is it risky to wear a name tag in public in an unfamiliar city?
A couple of years ago, I came across Smart Traveller claiming that wearing your name tag can increase the risk of crime and assault in the form of someone who pretends to already know you taking advantage of your trust:
A young Australian woman was attending a conference in a foreign city, and went shopping downtown for the afternoon. A young man approached her, greeting her by name and explained he was from the hotel where she was staying and would look after her. He took her to meet friends at another hotel and bought her a drink. When she woke in the morning she had been assaulted and robbed. She discovered she was still wearing her conference name tag - that was how the young man had known her name.
However, this anecdote is no longer on Smart Traveller (I got it from another web site that copied its contents), and I've never heard anyone else talk about this.
Is wearing a name tag in public in foreign cities a risk?
Background: A recent conference I attended, that's not in my home city, asked us to wear our lanyards while going from the conference venue to a pub, and while at the pub. I want to know if this is something risky that should be avoided.
Best Answer
Well I think it depends on the city you're visiting.
In a "bad" environment, any sign that you're a foreigner might give potential pick-pockets or other "bad guys" a hint that you might be a good target. I've read in travelguides, that you should try not to keep a map openly visible and try not to look around you too much.
Personally I think a lot of these tips tend to get a little paranoic. Use common sense.
So, back to your question: Wearing a name tag might alert someone that you're a visitor. Holding a map in your hands might do that as well. I wouldn't worry too much.
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Where should nametags be worn?
1. NAME TAGS: In the United States, proper etiquette states the name tag should be worn above the pocket on the right side of your shirt, blouse, or blazer.Are name tags a good idea?
Wearing name tags helps build a corporate identity. They also help employees and customers interact better with each other. In any retail establishment (grocery store, boutique, department store, etc.), there are significant benefits to wearing name tags.Are name tags tacky?
Traditional name tags aren't just tacky. They're lazy. Pro, From: Name Tag, Inc. While adhesive name badges can be considered tacky, there are less traditional ways of handling large groups.What does it mean when you give someone your name tag?
: a piece of paper, cloth, plastic, or metal that has a person's name written on it and that is attached to the person's clothing She handed out name tags for people to wear at the conference.What If You Knew Wednesdays - How To Wear A Name Tag
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Answer 2
When I'm visiting some city to attend some event or conference, I try to expose the name tag only while I'm in the event's place. There's no need to show name tags publicly, right? But I do agree that it all depends on the city you are, as perdian said above.
Answer 3
The issue you are referring to is definitely existing, not only for name tags but anything else that might act as a point of entrance for someone who tries to con you. It works better if the person traveled further away from home or is in a cultural environment that is significantly different from what they are used to.
For instance, it is very common that Japanese people get cheated/tricked or even robbed my people who know Japanese in foreign Countries. Since Japanese people often do not speak foreign language, a person addressing them in Japanese seems more trustworthy than someone addressing them in the local language.
If the person knows what you are doing by spotting your conference tag or even knows your name, people are unfortunately often tricked into unreasonable trust to that person.\
On top of course, as mentioned above, the risk of being robbed on the assumptions an attacker might deduct from the conference you are attending is an additional risk of a name tag.
Answer 4
I really think this would require research into the city/country you will be visiting. I am a Zimbabwean that resides in South Africa. In Zimbabwe if people identify one as a tourist they tend to give them more attention and assistance however here in South Africa that could likely attract thieves. So it really depends on the area one is visiting.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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