Labels/Tags

accessories activities adventure affordable cruises africa airplane all natural sun care allergens allergic reaction allergies alligator animals arizona Arthur's Seat asia australia autumn autumn outdoors backpacks Bangkok Bar-B-Que barbecue Bass Pro Shops bayfront marin house BBQ beach beach safety beach trip beach vacation beaches bear bicycling bike polo bike race bike ride events bike rides bikers bikes blisters boating boating safety boating tips boating trip bocce body branches budget busy day campfire camping camping basics camping gear camping needs camping trip campsites Cancun captain caribbean carowinds castillo de san marcos category cenotes charity charity events charity runs charity walks cheap cruises chest strap chicago Chichen Itza cleaning coastal food colorado comfortable couples couples trip ideas couples vacation couples vacation ideas coyote crab crab cake recipe crab cakes crab recipe crew cruise cruises culture current cyclone deer desert destination destinations detours directions distance trips dodgeball downtown drown drowning drowning signs dry dumb laws edinburgh edinburgh Scotland Elephant endangered enjoy outdoors with allergies equipment Estrella Mountain europe extreme heat fall fall outdoors fatigue festivals fire first aid first aid kit fish fisherman fishers fishing fishing line fishing reels flames Florida florida vacation florida vacation besides disney fundraiser fundraiser bike ride fundraiser ride gadgets Gallery Electric Putting Partner Garmin gear gift gifts gifts for outdoors girls getaway golf golf ball golfer green gun safety gun safety tips guns habitat hay rides headache heat heat exhaustion heat related illness heat sensitivity heat stroke heat stroke signs heat-related illness hiking home home remedies for rashes home remedies for sunburn honeymoon horse horseback riding horseback riding safety horseback riding safety tips hot weather hunting hurricane hurricane preparedness hurricane preparedness tips hurricane season hurricanes hydrated ice skating illegal illinois inline inline skating international international travel jet lag Kansas City kayak kenya knife ladies fishing lake laws lion lodge london london trip london trip tips luxury hotel make crab cakes maps marathon mat mayan ruins mazes meditation Memphis merced mexico micro fiber minnesota motorcycle motorcycle events motorcycle guide motorcycle tips motorcycles mountain mountain climbing mountains muir must haves on camping trip nature walk neck new york Nike north carolina north carolina beaches north carolina mountains north carolina vacation spots ocean ocean swimming safety odd pizza offbeat games offbeat outdoor sports offbeat sports old city olympic events olympic games olympics on board oregon outdoor allergens outdoor allergies outdoor gadgets outdoor games outdoor gear outdoor skin care outdoor sports outdoors outdoors gifts pandas par three peaks Phuket pizza plan a trip to london plane poison ivy pollen pool pool safety pools pork prepare protection putter putting system quiet races Railay rashes red rock relax rescue resort review retreat ribs robbed rock climbing roller skates roller skating ruins running safely safety safety tips san francisco save money save money on cruise saving money scams schedule Scotland scuba diving Sedona Sedona Marathon shoes shooting shooting safety shooting safety tips shoulders signs of drowning skating skating safety skating safety tips ski ski vacation skiing skin care sleep sleeping bag Smithfield snake snorkel socks south america south carolina south carolina vacations Southern Thailand Spa species squirrel st augustine st auguustine florida St.John St.Thomas steel horse strange laws strap stress summer summer beach trip sun care sunburn sunny sunscreen surfing surfing lessons swimming swimming pool swimming pool safety swimming safety target shooting tartan tension Thailand The Grand Hyatt the South time time zone tips torso tour guide review tourist tourist attractions trail running travel travel expenses travel scam warning travel scams traveling treat rashes at home treat sunburns at home trek trip trip to london trips trout unusual olympic events US Virgin Islands vacation vacation in south carolina vacation scam vacations vertebra video washington water water attractions water park water rides water slides wave wave pools weather weird gadgets weird pizza toppings weird pizzas west indies wild animal wilmington women women biking women fishing women motorcycle women motorcycling womens fishing tournaments world zoo


Travel Scams To Look Out For, Part I

 

You've probably heard the stories about a tourist waking up in a bathtub filled with ice with a note telling them to call 911. There's also the ones about people being robbed after being sprayed with 'perfume' that turns out to be ether. Luckily these aren't true, but that doesn't mean that there aren't still plenty of scammers out there looking to take advantage of unsuspecting travelers. If you're going on vacation or even considering going on vacation, here are some common scams you should be aware of. Some of them seem obvious; others, not so much.

Front Desk Credit Card Confusion. In the middle of the night, you get a call from someone who says they are from the front desk of your hotel. She's sorry it's so late, but there's been a mix-up with your credit card and they need to make sure they have the right number. Either that, or someone from the previous shift lost a form or typed something in wrong. She'll read off some random numbers and ask you to 'confirm' them. Since you're still half-asleep and just want to go back to bed, you'll 'correct' her without realizing that you've just given your credit card number and expiration date to some random person who is probably calling from their basement or from some long-dead 'front desk' number. You won't know you've been scammed until you either have your card declined or you see weird charges on your credit card bill. That is, unless you really did pay $1500 for a purple leather bustier!

Solution-The truth of the matter is that most hotels won't even give you the room key without checking and double-checking your credit card information, so there is no real reason for this kind of 'mix-up'. This is especially true if you booked your hotel ahead of time, since they require this information to put your room on hold. They may not charge you yet, but they will verify everything. If you get a call like this, ask the person's name and say you'll be at the front desk to straighten everything out in the morning.

'Taxi' Drivers. You've just touched down and are greeted by sharply-dressed man offering you a ride in his taxi for a really low rate. His car doesn't look like a taxi, but you see that the line at the counter at the airport is rather long take him up on the offer. You put your bags in the trunk and set off. There are a number of ways this could go:

-The driver could drive around aimlessly to build up the fare and charge you much more than you planned, or
-The driver could take you to an out-of-the-way location and rob and/or assault you, or
-He could take you to your hotel, take out your bags in a hurry and then leave before you've realized that one of them is still in the trunk.

Solution-Never accept a ride from a driver unless they have a licensed, metered taxi.

Since we are at a time in the year when vacations and vacation scams are at their height, I'll continue with more warnings in another post. I just don't want you to fall victim to something that could ruin your vacation and/or your life.











No comments:

Post a Comment

Most Popular This Week