This is advertorial is by Mashum Mollah
There’s something worse than rain to ruin your vacation or travel experience—a travel scam.
We can’t do much about the weather, but let’s disappoint scammers everywhere we go and tip the scale of rewarding travel experiences in our favor.
Check out this list of common travel scams, how to spot them, and how to protect yourself.
1. The transport company scam
Every day, unsuspecting travelers get into cars and mini-buses that are not owned by transport companies at all. The drivers are not professional drivers but professional taxi scammers.
A nice car. A sticker. A pushy salesman. All these things can contribute to getting a traveler swept along and into the back of an unlicensed vehicle.
It is safer — and you can avoid being ripped off — researching taxi companies beforehand. Check that official taxi numbers are really taxi numbers. You can also use official taxi stands at airports.
If you have prearranged travel by car, verify the car's and driver's details before entering.
2. The money exchange scam
In many touristy areas, people may offer to help you change your money. Unfortunately, they typically change money into something worthless.
They will use overwhelm, gestures, rapid speech, and other tactics to confuse their targets and trick them into exchanging money for the equivalent of magic beans.
Don’t exchange money in the street. A booth or stand on the street is an excellent place to get scammed. Airports are also rife with these scammers.
Exchange money at trusted banks or well-known currency exchange counters. And know your exchange rates and rules before you arrive to avoid anyone getting the upper hand over you.
3. The classic pickpocket/distraction scam
You may not realize that a pickpocket has misdirected you until it’s too late.
Tricks include one-half of a pickpocketing team dropping something near you so that you look down or stop to pick it up. While you’re distracted, the other half of the team steals your phone, wallet, passport, or other valuable items.
The distraction may be less subtle. Someone might all out spill a drink or food on you. It’s hard to keep a calm temperament and think about the safety of your belongings when you’ve got hot coffee or a cold strawberry milkshake all over your favorite T-shirt. While you’re telling the culprit that it’s okay, their accomplice may already have lifted precious items from your purse.
Avoiding this scam is tricky because hustlers are very good at distractions. Such scams are worse for you and more effective for them in crowds.
Rather than trying to make yourself distraction-proof, which is nearly impossible when someone’s throwing food or drink at you, you can make yourself more theft-proof by:
- Not carrying valuable items.
- Wearing a money belt, a crossbody bag, or hidden belts.
- Using front pockets rather than rear pockets.
- Never allow your items to be out of reach, even for a moment.
4. The easy money scam
Here’s how it works: someone offers you an easy way to make money fast. Or, supposedly, you can save significant money by following simple advice.
In other scams, you might be asked to invest. Again, you’ll be promised easy money and non-existent guarantees. Some tourists are invited to attend events that are aggressive sales pitches that take up time and money in equal measure.
Just say no.
The worst easy money scam might be when someone asks you to carry something over a border into another country. No matter how sound it seems, this tactic is employed by drug dealers who don’t want to risk being arrested. Steer clear.
Unfortunately, money rarely comes as quickly as scammers make it sound. Especially not when you are in an unfamiliar tourist destination.
How to smell a scam
- If what you’re being offered seems too good to be true, it most likely is.
- Don’t believe people who use high-pressure tactics, deadlines, distractions, and attempts to make them look like they are “the real deal.”
- Be wary of anyone giving you the hard sell, failing to respect your no or your personal space.
- Look out for requests for money, a massive giveaway, whether for investments, loans, or gift purchases. Run a mile.
- Wave the red flag for anyone interested in your credit cards or having you transfer or wire money. These are tactics criminals use because this kind of fraud is hard to trace.
- Don’t take anything from anyone who looks and behaves suspiciously. Some scammers may offer you a gift, such as a flower or a bracelet, and then demand something from you in return. People often feel guilty and accountable to the gift giver, which is the deliberate tactic of the scammer.
- If you’re in the US and there is any doubt about your new friend or anyone you have recently met, look them up on Nuwber, a people search engine, to learn about them.
Stay alert
Note that scams vary from place to place, so it’s worth researching your destination before traveling. If you can talk to travelers who have been there, that can be worthwhile. While there may be spoilers that might affect how you will experience the magic of the place, they may help steer you from bad neighborhoods and potential scams.
Always research your destination and verify the details of the places you’re staying at and the people you know you will meet. For everyone else, be on your guard. Being suspicious of everyone is not nice, but being scammed is no fun.
Look out for the tell-tale signs, understand that scammers often work in pairs, and do your best to make yourself generally un-pick-pocketable.
Your knowledge 1 - 0 Scammers
Being careful while traveling is a must. It’s one thing to get scammed in your homeland, and it’s another thing to fall short in a different country. The latter is always harder to deal with. That’s why knowing all the scams and ways to deal with them is essential.
