Common Travel Scams to Know and Avoid
While traveling gives you a tremendous opportunity to meet the lovely locals and their culture, the fact remains that you should always keep an eye open to all the scam artists who are trying to steal your money away. Regardless of your destination, these people can be found everywhere, and if you’re not careful, can ruin your holiday trip in a hurry.
By following our guide, you will be able to spot the possible danger from miles away and react accordingly. Naturally, we aren’t implying that every person you see is out to get you, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. As we like to say, safety always remains a top priority, but paranoia is never the solution either. By keeping your guard just a little bit higher than normal, you will detract all the scammers right from the get go. Here is how you can do that.
Suspicious taxi drivers
Taxi drivers are usually the first people who greet you immediately once you leave the airport. In most cases, these are perfectly normal and polite individuals who are eager to transport you to your destination. However, there are some shady characters everywhere. First of all, never go inside an unmarked vehicle that doesn’t belong to a taxi organization. Their promises of lower prices sound very appealing, but it’s just a trick. In most cases, their rates are a lot higher compared to other cabbies.
Similarly, if your taxi driver tries to sell you on a story that his taxi meter is broken, ask to leave the vehicle immediately. Otherwise, you risk of paying 5x the amount you would have to shell out in the first place. So, when it comes to taxi drivers, it’s always best to play it safe, especially when you find yourself in a foreign country.
Malicious Wi-Fi hotspots
Hackers are globally present in virtually every country in the world, meaning that your virtual information could be stolen at any time. So, why are tourists under increased risk here? Well, for starters, most locals already have plenty of trusted hotspots they use on an everyday basis.
On the other hand, tourists don’t have the luxury of accessing the Internet through home or office Wi-Fi. You can only go to a coffee shop for so many times before you can drink no more coffee, so what happens when you are in sudden need for the Internet? You go for the open or free Wi-Fi hotspots. Unfortunately, hackers can easily steal your data if you give them the access to your files. So, to save your passwords, consider using VPN, which serves as a barrier to hacker breaches.
Rent a car damage
When you find yourself in a foreign country, with a huge desire to explore the unknown, getting a ride become the number one priority. However, you need to be careful about your agency of choice. Because rental agencies charge huge fees to people who damage their vehicles, you want to pay special attention to this part. Before you even take the vehicle off of their lot, take a photo of it from every possible angle, carefully capturing all existing dents and scratches. In that way, you will protect yourself from any lawsuits and scams.
Be wary of the people who stumble into you
It’s perfectly human to stumble into other people from time to time. You have done it, and so have we, there’s no point in denying it. How can you then separate those who do it intentionally is the real issue. Unfortunately, the answer is that there is no safe way of knowing. Experienced scammers can pick your pockets in seconds.
They can also be young and old, dressed casually or sometimes even wearing business suits. In total, the only way to know for sure is to immediately check your pockets after being bumped. It might be a bit rude at times, but this is the only way to avoid being pickpocketed in a foreign country. Take it from a person who experienced it before, this is not a fun way to go about your holiday.
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