MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry warns Brits about common scams against tourists
Going on holiday should be the most relaxing time of the year. But if your phone, wallet, or passport is stolen, it can easily turn into a nightmare. Being scammed on holiday can also ruin the enjoyment.
It’s not just theft that traps tourists into spending more money than they’d planned, either. There are lots of tricks people use to get more cash out of people when they realise they’re holidaymakers. Be aware of these traps and scams to make sure your holiday remains as peaceful as it’s supposed to be.
Menu on the table phone theft
It’s so easy to leave your phone on the table while you’re having lunch, especially if you’ve just got it out to take a photo of how much fun you’re having.
But a very common trick to steal phones is to approach the table to ask you a question, then move a napkin or menu over your phone as you talk. This makes it easy to remove the phone as they walk away, without you noticing.
Pickpockets are also rife in tourist areas. Don’t put your phone and wallet in an accessible pocket. Make sure it is at least in a zipped pocket, ideally one facing your body rather than on the outside of a bag. Some people choose to put lanyards on their phone too, which allows them to wrap around their wrist or connect to their bag or belt loop to avoid it being snatched.
Taking you around the houses
There are two types of taxi scams that many tourists get caught out with if they’re not careful. The first is being taken around the houses on what should be a direct route. They will often also charge well over the rate expected.
Get around this by following Google Maps on your phone, and agreeing the flat rate fare in advance. Using an app like Uber can also help as you pay the app and not the driver, plus the driver is registered so if you have problems it is easier to report them.
The second taxi scam is asking if they can make a quick stop during your journey. Or, they might offer to show you ‘off track’ shops with ‘bargains’ that aren’t on the usual tourist routes. But they know the people who own the shop and are given commission from anything you buy, so it’s their incentive to take you there. It can also put you in quite a pressured situation, so be aware of your personal safety.
Accommodation scams
When you ask a driver to take you to your hotel, you might be told that the hotel is closed. But don’t worry – they know a better one just around the corner.
This is like the shop scam, where you’re taken to somewhere that gives them a commission for bringing you. Unless you’ve received information directly from your hotel or the platform you booked on, do not believe it.
Late-night hotel desk calls are also a common scam. They’ll call, claiming to be the front desk in need of confirming your payment card details on the room. They rely on people being tired and assuming only the hotel has the phone number, so it’s easy to trick them out of their card details. If you’re worried, hang up and go to the front desk to ask if they called you.
USB charging data transfer scam
This one is super sneaky but could ruin a lot of things for you – and you won’t even know it’s happened at first, which makes it very hard to trace who is responsible.
Known as ‘juice jacking’, scammers will put USB devices into USB plugs that enable data download from your phone. So, you plug it in to charge it, blissfully unaware that your data is being stolen as it charges.
Get around this by only using your own plug and cable, and always put into the wall using the plug and never the USB connection. Similarly, never connect to public WiFi. This makes it really easy for scammers and hackers to get your data.
The ‘free’ gift
A popular scam is for someone to seem very friendly, wanting to show you their wares for sale. They’ll put on the bracelet or whatever the item is to ‘show you’ or to offer it as a ‘gift’. But it’ll be tied so tight you’ll need scissors to remove it.
So, they’ll argue you have to damage it to remove it and therefore must pay for it. They’ll cause a public fuss to try and embarrass you into paying. Avoid this scam by not taking anything from people you don’t know.
Stay safe abroad
Most people and most places are wonderful and relatively safe. But if you’re not aware of your surroundings, you could be taken advantage of – so make sure you know what’s what.
Stay safe by:
- Always knowing where you’re going before you set off
- Keeping valuables close to you or in the hotel safe
- If leaving items in the safe, take a photo of the contents
- Print out a copy of your passport and important travel documents like flight information, in case your bag gets stolen – and send a copy to someone on email, too
- Using recognised travel options such as Uber, and pre-booking where possible
- Write down phone numbers for emergency contacts – including the local Foreign Office – and email them to yourself or keep separate from your valuables, in case you need them.
Use a prepaid travel card or a bank card with limited funds as an extra line of protection against thieves and identity theft. With a little preparation, it’s easy to enjoy your holiday – so take a few minutes to orient yourself when you arrive, find reputable resources before you travel, and always trusting your gut instinct.
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