I am American and have enjoyed living in Malta for four years. I have seen many things, and have learned a few more. From mongers by the ferries triple charging for a bottle of water if you look like a tourist, to a seller turning back an odometer on a scooter last year. I won’t even mention the white cab crew.

These things happen everywhere I suppose and it’s buyer beware. The issue is that these people are deliberately taking advantage of tourists and sleeping just fine at night.

I have just spent two months travelling through 15 countries so I can assure readers it happens everywhere to an extent but Malta is the absolute worst.

Unfortunately, it is also where I plan to stay, employing several Maltese and otherwise loving life here. I have hosted over 100 people through couch-surfing over the last few years and they have mentioned the same treatment.

What needs to be realised is that people like these support this island to an extent and abusing them is now very dangerous due to websites like Trip Advisor, Booking.com, CouchSurfing.com and many other sites that vacationers resort to.

In today’s world your reputation precedes you a lot more than you would like to think.

What prompted this letter is a small issue in nature but the way it is interpreted is important.

I went to St Paul’s Bay McDonalds and ordered a couple of €1.50 double cheeseburgers of the EuroSaver menu. They said they only had the €1 hamburgers and they could put cheese on it for 50c. This is ridiculous.

They obviously had the items; they just chose to go against franchise requirements and common sense for some reason, and save the 8c it cost for both.

They shamed themselves and the entire company. And, yes, I paid the €3 for two single burgers with cheese. A captive audience is easily manipulated.