How it works: Fraudsters attach skimming devices to ATMs to steal card information and PIN numbers. These devices are often hard to detect and can lead to significant financial loss if your card details are compromised. Often, the actual financial fraud may occur weeks or months after your holiday, as fraudsters may wait until travellers are back home to their normal routines and therefore less concerned about the risk of financial scams from abroad.
How to avoid it: Where you do need to withdraw cash, use ATMs located inside reputable international banks. Inspect the ATM for any unusual attachments before inserting your card, cover the keypad when entering your PIN, and regularly monitor your bank statements and mobile banking applications to quickly spot and report unauthorised transactions, even after your trip.
Counterfeit tickets
How it works: Scammers sell counterfeit tickets to popular attractions or events, from heritage sites to dance and theatre performances. These fake tickets are often indistinguishable from the real ones until you try to use them and are denied entry.
How to avoid it: Purchase tickets directly from official websites, authorised resellers, or at the venue itself. Avoid buying tickets from street vendors or unofficial online sources, even if the price seems attractive.
Bogus tour guides
Unofficial tour guides may provide false information (Photo: Carlos Pereira)
How it works: Fake tour guides, often found near popular attractions, offer their services to unsuspecting tourists. These guides may not be authorised or may not have the required tour guide licences or certifications. They might provide inaccurate information, lead travellers to disreputable establishments where they are forced to spend more money, not take travellers to the destinations promised, or suddenly demand extra fees not previously disclosed mid-tour or at the end of the tour.
How to avoid it: Book tours through reputable agencies or online platforms with verified reviews, or directly from the tourist attraction where the tour is due to take place. If approached by a guide on the street, ask for credentials and compare prices with official tour operators.
Fraudulent customer service accounts
How it works: Another increasingly popular travel scam involves criminals creating fake social media accounts to imitate genuine and well-known travel organisations, claiming to be a customer service representative trying to help with refunds or other issues.
This is particularly popular on X, formerly Twitter, where customers publicly message airlines or travel companies for help, and then are contacted by a fraudulent account aiming to collect financial and personal information. Alternatively, after a holiday, customers may receive fraudulent emails from e-mail addresses purporting to be an airline or travel agency, containing links inviting them to claim a refund or advising them that they are eligible for compensation.
How to avoid it: Do not reply to communications asking you to send a direct message containing personal details. Also check the activity of any customer service accounts and how many followers they have. A company’s website will usually have a link to their legitimate social media accounts, which are likely to have many followers, a verification badge, and lots of previous activity. Legitimate customer service accounts on social media will also usually direct customers to a helpline number or customer service webpage.
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you live in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
Source link : https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/holiday-scams-europe-how-to-avoid-summer-3142138
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-02 14:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
