Whether you travel abroad or at home, alone or with family it can be a fun filled time, but just because you are away from home, it does not mean you can drop your guard. Unfortunately there are people out there who prey on tourists and travelers. Here are some of the most common travel scams and how you can avoid them.
The Hotel Front Desk Credit Card Scam
The hotel front desk calls your room late at night and they say your credit card information did not go through after you checked in, and that they need your information again. The problem is that it is not the front desk calling, it is a scam artist who has called the hotel and has asked for your room number. Before you know it, a stranger has your credit card information.
The easy way to avoid this common scam is to not give your credit card information out over the phone. Take the time to walk down to the hotel front desk in your pajamas if necessary so that you can confirm that it was an employee who called your room.
At Your Service
Fraudulent room service charges are becoming more common. You order your food and 20 minutes later your meal arrives at your door. Before handing over the food, your waiter or waitress demands that you pay them the full amount for your food in cash. Unfortunately, many travelers are falling for this scam.
If you order room service, your meal will be billed to the card that the hotel has on file for you. Never pay cash for room service. If this happens to you, call the front desk and tell the hotel manager immediately.
The Distract and lift
While you are at an ATM someone approaches you and asks you a question, you turn to them and pay attention to what they are saying, in the mean time, their accomplice just ran off with the cash that the ATM dispensed.
If you are at an ATM (even in your home town) never take your eyes off of the ATM, even if someone asks you a question. Just tell them to wait until you are done, but never take you eyes off of the machine. The same applies if you are walking down a street. If someone asks you a question, keep on walking. Pickpockets like to the use the distract and lift method too.
Public Transportation
Taxi drivers know when they are dealing with tourists and they will often take the longest route possible, or they will start the meter off at a higher rate because they think they can get away with it. The best way to avoid this is to agree a fee upfront before you even set foot inside the taxi.
Also make sure that the there are handles on the inside of the doors. Yes it sounds crazy but, there have been reports of travelers not being able leave the taxi with out paying a ridiculous fee first. When you get to your destination, if the driver starts to create a scene over the fee, shouting police a few times will make the driver leave the scene in a hurry.
The dropped wallet
If you see a wallet or other valuable item on the floor, do not pick it up, this is the classic dropped wallet scam. If you touch it, someone will be running at you screaming thief. They will make you pay a large sum of money or they will threaten to call the police on you. Go to the nearest store and tell an employee what you have found. Let them be the ones to pick up the wallet or call the police, it is best to just leave it well alone.
The Timeshare
The famous timeshare is still doing the rounds. Running into a timeshare salesman while traveling is as guaranteed as you having to complete your yearly taxes. If you are approached by a timeshare sales man do not fall for his sales pitch, and definitely do not fall for the offer of an amazing free gift.
Sure, you will get a free gift after 3 hours of high pressure sales pitches, but you will end up paying more in shipping than the free gift is actually worth. The best thing to do is ignore the salesman. Just keep on walking, do not talk to them, they will soon lose interest and you will not lose the money you have in your wallet.
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