Knowledge is power. Being aware of these scams could potentially make the difference between a great trip and a disastrous trip.
Fake Flyers in Hotels.
Known Areas: Worldwide
It’s common to walk into a hotel room to find various flyers for food and services around the hotel vicinity. Unfortunately, some of these can be fake (including ones using credible branding) and are meant to scam guests out of their credit card numbers. You may think you ordered pizza, but in fact are providing a shopping spree for the people on the other end of these flyers.
Tip: Always use the internet to confirm the legitimacy of the vendors before calling.
Fake Calls to your Hotel Room.
Known Areas: Worldwide
Similar to the Fake Flyers, if you get a call in your room from someone claiming to be from the front desk asking to confirm your credit card number (i.e. because it didn’t process properly the first time) you should be suspicious. Hotels will never ask you to confirm your credit card over the phone (they’ll ask you to swing by the front desk). If you give your info over the phone, you might be giving away your financial details to a scammer.
The Fake Distraction
Known Areas: Airports and train stations
Scam: This scam comes in different forms. Essentially, there is some sort of distraction like someone spilling water on you or an old lady falling in a public place. As you and others are distracted, an accomplice swoops up as many bags as they can carry.
Tip: When something out of the ordinary happens, look around you first and keep in physical contact with your belongings.
Security Line Budding
Known Areas: Airports
You’re about to walk through a metal detector when the person behind you cuts ahead of you. You’re annoyed, but you let them go as you don’t want to make a scene near the security area. They then repeatedly set off the alarm; they forget to remove their watch, then cell phone, then change, so you continue to wait. On the other side, an accomplice has snagged your belongings.
Tip: Wait until the last moment to put your stuff on the x-ray machine. Also, keep an eye on your stuff if you get held up at the metal detector. If you see some fishy business, alert the agent.
Hacking via Wi-Fi
Known Areas: Airports, hotels, StarBucks and other public areas with ‘free’ Wifi
It’s hard to turndown free Wi-Fi. This fact has made hacking all too common at hotels, cafés, and other public venues. A free W-Fi hotspot is set up and made public for anyone to access. Sure, the Internet is free, but while you’re checking Facebook, your data is getting sent to the host’s computer. Just like that, they have access to your usernames and passwords.
Tip: Only connect to legitimate networks. Check out this list of airports with free Wi-Fi so that you know you’re connecting to a secure network. At a hotel, don’t connect to another guest’s Wi-Fi hotspot. Instead, ask the front desk for the hotel’s preferred network and use it!
The Cash Swap
Known Areas: Istanbul
You’re new to the country and getting the hang of the currency. You take a taxi, and when you arrive at your destination, you pay the fare with a 50-lira note. Without you noticing, the driver switches your payment with a 5-lira note, which unfortunately for you looks quite similar. Since you’re not totally sure they’re wrong, you give him another 50-lira note.
Tip: Be confident. Familiarize yourself with the currency before you go, and pay attention when you pay for services. If you think you’re getting scammed, threaten to call the police. Local law enforcement officers know about this trick, and the driver probably won’t want to lose his license.
The Tie Up
Known Areas: Paris and Rome
As you’re walking around famous monuments and tourist areas, a charismatic man/woman comes up to you to start a conversation. Before you know it, they’re tying a bracelet around your wrist/finger. Then he demands payment. Of course, you can say no, but if you do, they’ll scream that you are stealing the bracelet. Most tourists give in to the pressure and pay just to prevent a scene.
Tip: If someone is being overly friendly, you should be suspicious. And if they get close enough to easily touch you, just walk away.
Bait and switch
Known Areas: Almost everywhere
You’re planning a vacation on a budget, and you find an amazing-looking hotel in your price range. It seems too good to be true, but the pictures on their website look idyllic, so you enter your credit card info and book the room. Unfortunately, when you arrive, you discover that the hotel is a dump, and they won’t refund your money. In some countries, one-star hotels will even copy the name of a popular hotel just to lure tourists to their location.
Tip: It always pays to book through a reputable tour operator because it will take responsibility for the booking and guarantee that you don’t lose money. Sites such as Oyster and TripAdvisor are also great resources for checking out reviews from customers who have stayed at the hotel.
Exchange Rate Skimming
Known Areas: Western Europe
You hand your credit card to the merchant and they give you the option to convert your credit card transaction to your own currency. You agree because it seems like it would be cheaper than the credit card exchange rate. Unfortunately, it’s not. It’s called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), and by using a conversion rate that is higher than the going rate, the merchant is making an extra profit off of your purchase.
Tip: Always pay in local currency.