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Venezuela vows crackdown on currency tourists
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/05/us-venezuela-currency-idUSBRE9940BN20131005(Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro's government plans to use fingerprint machines at airports to try to root out no-shows who buy tickets to scam travel-related currency controls without even flying, in the latest symptom of Venezuela's economic chaos.
Most flights out of the South American OPEC nation are booked solid months ahead because locals buy up tickets to enable the purchase of dollars at a preferential rate.
In a phenomenon Venezuelans have dubbed "currency tourism," many do not even bother taking the trips, meaning planes often fly out half-empty. People sell their dollar allowances on the black market for a profit of up to seven times their official worth.
Stung by a barrage of headlines on the subject, officials at the weekend said they planned to put fingerprint machines at airports, ports and borders to identify the no-show scammers.
