Tourists were urged to be careful when buying accommodation in Turkish hotels, as with the beginning of the peak holiday season, fraudsters have become more active. They are extorting money from holidaymakers through copy sites, Turkish media quoted the Mugla police chief as saying, which includes such popular resorts as Bodrum, Marmaris, Dalaman, and Fethiye. However, tourists who receive tours from tour operators are not warned, but only those vacationers who book a hotel themselves.
At a press conference on combating cybercrime, the police chief said that the project, designed to prevent cybercrime, and minimize material and moral damage, is taking measures to raise awareness of hoteliers and tourists about the schemes of criminals.
As the resort province of Mugla, which is neighboring Antalya, is one of the main tourist destinations for many tourists, hotels in popular resorts can be a source of income for criminals.
What is the essence of a fraudulent scheme?
Unsuspecting tourists go to the hotel website, book a room, and make a prepayment. And when you come to the hotel, it turns out that there was no reservation, that is, the money was spent in vain, and the holiday was canceled. Only then do most tourists realize that they gave the money to criminals who completely copied the hotel’s website and even chose a similar domain so that the victim was not suspected of fraud.
In order not to give away their money, the police chief advised travelers to call the hotel and confirm the reservation on the required dates before transferring funds. In addition, you need to call the phone number listed not on the copier site, but the directory sites. So tourists will not fall for phone scammers.