How to Avoid Travel Scams

How to avoid travel scams in popular tourist destinations has become the latest rage among holiday-makers. Scams have been a factor of travel for many years, but their reach has increased in recent times as opportunists have adopted new approaches to their trade. The most common way in which tourists are cheated involves buying air tickets in advance and facing an immediate cancellation at the last minute. This is usually part of a scam and the con artist will not let you leave the airport in any case. If you have noticed this happening, it is wise to immediately contact the airline and inform them of your impending departure.

Other tourist hotspots where people have fallen victim to travel scams include taxis and bus drivers. Many people have been conned by taxi drivers trying to charge exorbitant fares and then telling them that they cannot refuse because of lack of time. If the customer agrees, the driver gets the money from the customer and disappears. You can be the next victim! To avoid being conned by tourist taxi drivers, be sure to hail a cab from a reputable company.

Travel Scam

Another thing that tourists should avoid is giving detailed instructions to the locals. When in Thailand, ensure that you have some idea of how the country works. For example, do not agree to exchange currency with any stranger because most of these men are foreign criminals. In addition, it is always advisable to carry some local currency with you in case you meet some locals in Bangkok or anywhere else in the country. In most cases, the locals are extremely helpful and will be able to help you out with any enquiries you might have.

One of the best ways to avoid being a victim of travel scams is to use the Thai bazaar. This is where one goes to purchase items that they need from a vendor. In fact, most of the time the locals are so helpful that they will be able to provide you with all the information that you need.

A scam that is common among tourists in the country is the “wanted” poster campaign. There are many cases where a tourist will be approached by a person who claims to have a ‘Wanted’ poster of a local person wanted on another island. The wanted person will ask the tourist for some amount of money in return for the poster. This is a scam, because in reality there is no person wanted.

Another popular scam is for a tourist to say yes to everything an itinerary says. For example, a tourist might agree to go to Koh Chang in Thailand. But the itinerary does not mention where the hotel is. As a result, the hotel staff will suggest that the tourist see other sights in the area. Often times the hotel will offer free meals as part of the package deal.

The easiest way to avoid any travel scams is for one to know the area that he/she is going to visit. For example, if a person wants to visit Koh Chang in Thailand, it would be smart to look for information on that location online. You can also try asking around to other foreign nationals and local Thai people about their experiences in the area. In this way, one is much more likely to avoid any unnecessary pitfalls.

Another very common travel scam that is prevalent in Thailand is for a local or tourist to ask for some amount of money in exchange for a set of keys or valuables. It is common for the locals to ask for some amount of money for small or no value items such as jewelry, cameras, wallets, watches and other valuables. One thing to note is that if a local says that they are selling something valuable, then make sure to ask for further information first. If the request is too good to be true, then it probably is.

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