The founder of Airadvisor has listed the four most common scams to extort money from relaxed holidaymakers, revealing ways to avoid falling prey to them.
Due to the tricks of criminals, thousands of tourists are annually left without money and documents while on vacation. Let’s list the main ways of extorting money from travelers, presented by an expert:
Fake taxis. Scammers operate outside of apps, waiting in line from the cars of unsuspecting tourists. Scammers who act under the guise of taxi drivers deliver to the destination but charge four times more than the previously agreed price. As a result, such a trip can cost travelers thousands of hryvnias.
“If you feel comfortable enough, ask the driver to show you his ID and license to carry. In many of them, they are displayed on the instrument panel. You can even get into a taxi only if their credentials are displayed,” the expert advised.
Fake police. Fraudsters don’t just pretend to be taxi drivers, they also pretend to be police officers. This scam involves people dressed as police officers who approach tourists and insist on presenting documents and handing over money or valuables. Most often, frightened tourists give their passports and cash on their own, they are not robbed. Recently, a similar case occurred in the resort state of Goa.
The expert’s advice is to insist that the police submit the documents and take the tourist to the nearest site. Honest police officers should be happy to do this, while fraudsters can be scared off by such outbursts from the detainee.
“Accidentally” got dirty. Two scammers participate in the scheme: one “accidentally” contaminates the tourist, for example, with ice cream or a drink, and the other immediately offer help and at the same time cleans the victim’s pockets.
To avoid this fraud, the expert’s advice getting yourself in order and avoid physical contact with strangers.
Camera or camera theft. Often, when visiting a tourist attraction, travelers hand over their phones and professional cameras so that an outsider, who at first glance looks like a tourist, can take their picture. Fraudsters are on duty near popular attractions, ready at any moment to come to the aid of carefree travelers. It is necessary to remember this and not hand over your belongings to a stranger, especially expensive ones, for example, a phone or a camera. Unfortunately, scammers run fast. It is better to think about taking pictures in advance and buying a selfie stick so that you can take pictures with friends or family and not worry about someone stealing the camera.