Originally posted on August 14, 2014 @ 12:48 am
Sensible travelers would know that fraud and scams are probably waiting for them out there in their place of destination. That is one continuing risk of traveling although it can be avoided. Not many however realize that they can be scammed right in their own homes even before they board a plane. They can lose money by giving their money “voluntarily” without scammers breaking a sweat.
Daniel Perlman, a highly experienced criminal defense attorney can attest to the realities of Internet crimes, having had handled a good number of them. They are happening and it can happen to unsuspecting travelers. Check out these most common Internet fraud and scams that target travelers.
Property Owner Posers
Travelers will always be on the lookout for the best accommodation deals. Who wouldn’t want the chance to be billeted in style for an unbelievably low price? There’s the catch right there – the unbelievably low price. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. A number of tech-savvy and experienced travelers have been tricked into paying to people who do not have the authority to represent a rental vacation home. They usually get the contact details from legitimate listing sites or through websites posing as the real one. These travelers will learn soon enough that the money they sent through bank transfer to an account given to them will go straight to the pockets of property owner posers.
Non-Existent Facilities
Many travelers have been gypped into making deposits or paying in full for vacation or accommodation facilities that do not exist. Scammers will also make use fake websites, using images and specifications grabbed from legitimate facilities. What could be worse than finding one’s self in a foreign land without ready accommodation that is supposed to have been paid for? It really pays to check the sites we deal with. Looking through reviews or asking around from other travelers might just give the timely information that no such place exists.
False Advertisers
This kind of fraud makes use of a real place and real owners or brokers. The thing is, some do tend to misrepresent what they are offering. They would find the perfect euphemisms to hide the real state of the place they are offering. So instead of saying that “it is very difficult to reach the place”, they will be using words like ” affords weary travelers the utmost privacy desired”. After all, both descriptions can refer to how far the place is from major routes. And we haven’t started about the facilities yet.
So travelers beware!