Be Wary of Scam Artists While Traveling

I read an informative article last November 2024, while on an ‘Airlink’ flight from Botswana to South Africa. Their inflight magazine, Skyways, had a terrific article that I kept to share with you all about the various risks of scam artists and fraud while traveling, especially internationally.  This article particularly focused on business travelers but I think the article pertains to anyone travelling or even planning travel.

You may have heard of others experiencing some of these issues or even been the victim of them yourself. It’s always worth being reminded to be extra cautious whether home or abroad with scam artists.

Here are a few to be mindful about.

Inflated taxi fares:

You’ve heard the stories about taxi drivers taking advantage of travelers in unfamiliar cities, I’m sure, where they either take you along unnecessarily long routes or perhaps even rig their meters. This situation can be remedied in a number of different ways including being more familiar with the timeframe it should take to get from point A to point B.  

Another possible solution is to consider a more confirmed flat rate price scenario with operators such as Uber, Lyft or other regional transport companies such as “Bolt” in Budapest. It’s best to ensure that if there are unscrupulous operators in cities such as Stockholm, you should be careful to utilize specific companies that are well-defined as “Taxi Stockholm” vs. other rogue operators that happen to be prevalent there.

Yet another solution to this issue is to use a private pre-arranged transfer to get from one point to another for a pre-paid cost ahead of time. Not only, is your pricing assured although it may cost more, it does give you peace of mind and it’s wonderful being met, especially upon arrival into a city via airplane or train. This is something that Travel Advisors are able to assist you with.

Of course, if you’re already in the city, you can definitely also inquire with your hotel Concierge about the cost of taxis and even have them arrange these for you in order to assure you that they’re legitimate.

Wi-Fi Connections:

You need to be very careful about cyber criminals who set up fake Wi-Fi networks within airports, hotels or cafes that look to be legitimately named as “Free Airport Wi-Fi” or “Hotel Guest Network” but in fact, are very risky in that everything you may do on them is visible to these criminals. It’s best to utilize a VPN or “Virtual Private Network” to protect against this or at the very least, don’t do anything that may put you at any risk while accessing the internet.

“Conditional” gift:

This is something generally done in more crowded areas such as those around sites like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Trevi Fountain in Rome. The scam is that you’re offered a gift such as a bracelet or something like it and then pressured into paying for it after you accept it. Oftentimes, this whole transaction is one that’s meant to distract you so that someone else then comes along to pick your pocket. It’s very important to simply say no or ignore them and walk away but most importantly stay alert and on your toes.

Go With a Pro:

Online deals that may be too good to be true, likely are. Be cautious about purchasing travel items including air, hotels, tours or transfers online especially from unknown operators but one even has to be careful with known operators that may look legitimate but actually are not. According to a recent Visa survey, one in five people experience travel fraud and holiday scams and this is up by 7% from the past year. Not only is this risky from a financial point of view with payment for a service that isn’t legitimate but there’s also risk with identity theft through these means.

Do try to avoid this situation by dealing with legitimate folks, such as yours truly or another trusted Travel Advisor, but if you do find yourself in this situation, ensure that it’s reported immediately to local authorities and your bank or credit card company.

Scams and fraud, sadly, seem to be more and more prevalent in our society these days and one has to be consciously on the alert at all times. I particularly worry about older folks such as my Dad as unfortunately they often are preyed upon even more often. The most important thing is to always stay as alert as one can in everything we do, whether traveling or staying at home.

I hope you found this article useful or at least somewhat thought provoking in case you hadn’t thought of all of the items I’ve mentioned here. Stay safe and cautious at all times.