Have you ever been robbed while traveling? Have you fallen victim to a travel scam? If so, this article is just for you.
In it, we will reveal five common Travel Scams that continue to fool tourists around the world and explain how you can avoid them.
Every tourist plans a trip with the sole intention of spending memorable moments with their family, friends, spouse, or children—all while staying within their budget—yet, unknowingly, they often fall prey to travel scams.
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When we fall victim to a travel scams, we suffer significant financial losses. Furthermore, our entire mood for the trip is ruined, and we experience considerable mental stress.
As the number of tourists continues to rise, so too have the instances of travel fraud.
Therefore, it is essential that you read this article in its entirety to ensure that you remain fully vigilant in the days ahead.
Before traveling internationally, check the latest travel advisories issued by your government and trusted sources such as the U.S. Department of State.
1) The Fake Taxi Scheme:
Topping the list of common travel scams is the “Fake Taxi Scheme.” This is a scam that claims victims among tourists across the globe more frequently than any other.
It is quite possible that you, too, have fallen victim to this fake taxi scheme at some point.
What is the Fake Taxi Scheme?
Whether at an airport or a railway station, taxi drivers can be found waiting everywhere with their cabs. Among them are certain drivers who approach tourists and offer to drop them off at their destination for a significantly lower fare.
Lured by the promise of a low fare, the tourist falls right into the taxi driver’s trap.
Taking advantage of the fact that tourists are unfamiliar with the city’s routes, the driver deliberately takes a longer, circuitous path.
Upon reaching the destination, the taxi driver demands a much higher fare from the tourist.
If a tourist attempts to argue with such a driver, he becomes aggressive and begins to shout loudly.
Left with no other choice, the tourist is compelled to pay the exorbitant fare just to get rid of the driver.
Many taxi drivers even tamper with their meters to deliberately extract extra money from passengers.
In this manner, countless tourists around the world are being fleeced every day through these “fake taxi scams.”
How to Avoid Fake Taxi Schemes?
- Always confirm the fare before getting into a taxi.
- Check the route to your destination using Google Maps and ask the driver to take that specific route. If the driver refuses to take that route, do not get into the taxi.
- Never get into a taxi driven by an aggressive or intoxicated driver.
- Do you know how to use online taxi booking apps? If so, there is no better option for you than to use one of them to book your taxi.
2) Fake Hotel Booking Websites
Among today’s most damaging Travel Scams, fake hotel booking websites continue to defraud thousands of tourists every day.
For this reason, this scam has been categorized as the second most common type of travel fraud.
How does the fake hotel booking website scam work?
A fake website is created that is very similar to the official websites of the most famous hotels in a city. Fortunately, the fake website is often named after the well-known hotels and shows up in Google search results.
Therefore, when a tourist lands on this fake website, rooms are usually displayed as available at much lower prices.
The fake website also has a mobile number of a “manager,” so tourists can call them and check whether the site is genuine or a fraud.
When a tourist calls the number provided on the fake website and speaks with the manager, the manager requests the full booking amount as an advance payment to secure the room.
The manager sends a payment link or a QR code to the tourist via WhatsApp to ensure that the tourist faces no difficulties whatsoever in making the payment.
Once the payment has been processed, the manager calls the tourist back and claims that an error occurred within the hotel’s website payment system, resulting in them not receiving the funds.
The manager further assures the tourist that the payment they just made will be refunded to their bank account within two days.
By making these claims, the manager induces the tourist to make a second payment to book the room.
In this manner, such managers use fake hotel booking websites to defraud thousands of tourists on a daily basis.
How to Avoid Fake Hotel Booking Websites?
- Type the following into Google, using the name of the city where you wish to stay: “Somnath fraud hotels” or “New York fraud hotels.” Performing such a search will immediately alert you to the existence of fraudulent websites.
- If a hotel appears to be reputable and well-known, yet its rates are unusually low, be immediately suspicious. Such discrepancies are typically found only on fake websites.
- If a manager sends you a QR code for payment, first verify whether the code is registered under the hotel’s name or under that individual’s personal name. Never make a payment using a QR code registered under a personal name.
- Book a hotel after you arrive at your destination when traveling in the off-season. You will be able to check out the hotel yourself first.
- Book your hotel through a trustworthy website. Before making a reservation, carefully read the reviews left by other travellers to protect yourself from common travel scams.
3) The Restaurant Overcharging Scam
This is a scam that often goes completely unnoticed by us. It is executed with such cunning sophistication across the globe that we have placed it third on our list of “Common Travel Scams.”
How does the restaurant overcharging scam work?
While traveling, tourists spend their days exploring; after having a light snack in the afternoon, they typically look forward to a hearty dinner in the evening.
Tourists often prefer to dine at upscale restaurants—specifically those that are highly renowned.
After the meal, the bill is presented to the tourists. Most tourists simply glance at the total amount listed on the bill, pay it without a second thought, and even leave an extra tip for the waiter.
However, if a tourist were to scrutinize the bill carefully and cross-check the figures, they would discover a significant discrepancy between the prices listed on the menu and the prices calculated on the bill.
If a savvy tourist does take the time to verify the entire bill against the menu and catches this fraud, the restaurant staff will simply offer a sweet smile, apologize profusely, and then present the tourist with the correct, actual bill.
In this manner, every single minute of every day, restaurants across the world are overcharging customers and perpetrating this fraud.
How to Avoid Overcharging Scams at Restaurants?
- Thoroughly check your bill to ensure that the charges for your food correspond exactly to the prices listed on the menu.
- If you notice any extra charges added to the bill that you were unaware of, immediately question the restaurant manager.
- Before visiting any popular restaurant, be sure to read its Google reviews.
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4) The Free Wi-Fi Scam
This is one of the most dangerous Travel Scams, robbing tourists of money and exposing their private information to cybercriminals across the world.
Even if you fall victim to this scam, you may not realize it for several days.
This scam—which uses advanced methods and technology to defraud tourists—is common in most of the world’s major cities; for this reason, we have ranked it fourth in our category of “Common Travel Scams.”
Travelers should also review Google’s online security recommendations to better protect their accounts while using public networks.
How does the Free Wi-Fi Scam work?
Most major cities around the world offer free Wi-Fi at their airports and railway stations.
Scammers exploit this by setting up their own fake public Wi-Fi network among the legitimate ones—a network that requires no password to access.
Most tourists find the process of searching for public Wi-Fi passwords tedious; therefore, they look for networks that require no password and allow instant connectivity.
The moment a device connects to this fake Wi-Fi network, the scammers steal all the highly confidential information stored on the tourist’s mobile phone or laptop.
In this scam, scammers typically steal tourists’ payment details and then, using the One-Time Passwords (OTPs) received on their phones, drain their bank accounts.
These types of scams have now begun to appear in the shopping malls of major cities as well; therefore, being extremely cautious is absolutely essential.
How to Avoid Free Wi-Fi Scams?
- Before you connect, make sure the public Wi-Fi network is genuine. Ask any staff working at the location to verify this.
- While using public free Wi-Fi, refrain from making online payments to others via your mobile phone or laptop unless absolutely necessary.
- Do you know how to use a VPN? If not, learn how to do so; if you do, make sure to use a VPN whenever you access public free Wi-Fi.
- If you notice tabs opening unexpectedly or observe any unusual activity on your phone or laptop, immediately switch off or shut down the device for a while.
5) The Pickpocket Distraction Scam
Distracting tourists to steal their belongings is an extremely old scam. This type of scam is prevalent in the world’s most famous and crowded cities.
Recently, such scams have been occurring daily to numerous tourists, which is why we have included this in our list of “Common Travel Scams.“
How do pickpockets distract tourists to execute this scam?
Usually, this scam is done by a whole team of pickpockets.
One of them will approach a tourist in a crowded city, and pretend to ask for directions or an address. This distracts the tourist from watching their belongings.
Some pickpockets deliberately bump into tourists and then pick an argument with them, aiming to successfully distract the tourist.
While the tourist and the pickpocket are engaged in conversation, a second pickpocket quietly sneaks in, grabs all of the tourist’s belongings, and flees the scene.
Some pickpockets are absolute experts at stealing wallets, effortlessly extracting a wallet from a tourist’s pocket with great ease.
These pickpockets, who rely on distraction to steal, pilfer valuable items from many tourists every day—including wallets, credit cards, and cash, as well as the tourists’ passports.
Have you ever fallen victim to this type of scam? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
How to Avoid Pickpocket Distraction Scams?
- Do not leave your things unattended in busy areas. Keep your bags secured, if possible, between your feet or slung over your shoulder.
- If you are carrying a large suitcase, keep it in front of you rather than behind you. In crowded areas, hold onto the suitcase handle whenever possible.
- In crowded settings, never become so engrossed in conversation with someone that you lose track of your belongings. Simply put, you must remain vigilant in such places.
- If a stranger deliberately bumps into you and attempts to pick an argument, apologize immediately to defuse the situation and end the interaction.
- Leave your valuables at your hotel; only then should you head out to explore, carrying just a small bag or backpack.
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