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| Travel Scams and How to Avoid Them Insiders Give Their Advice Every corner of the world has pickpockets and petty thieves who prey on tourists, some countries are riskier than others, and con artists are constantly coming up with new schemes to relieve you of your passport, credit cards and cash. Even frequent travelers -- who feel like they should have known better -- have fallen victim to these ploys. We?ve collected stories and street savvy insider advice from world travelers on how you can avoid being a target. Jeanna Hofmeister works in the tourism industry. She lived in Malaysia for several months and has traveled in Southeast Asia and Europe both for pleasure and for business. Her story: When my husband and I arrived at the Hanoi airport, we waited in the taxi cue and got the ?official? taxi pass to downtown Hanoi. We told the driver we wanted to go to the Sol Melia Hanoi Hotel, one of the largest in the city. As we drove closer to the core of Hanoi, the taxi turned and stopped on a side street in front of a small hotel. The owner rushed out to greet us. I harshly told the driver this was NOT the Melia Hanoi hotel and he urged us to ?just get out and look? it very nice.? I angrily shouted that we were NOT getting out and that he?d better take us to the Melia Hanoi Hotel or I would call the police. He then begrudgingly drove us to the correct hotel. Jeanna?s advice: Clearly, in a country where very little English is spoken, a map and directions are a must. We should have taken his license number and reported him to our hotel concierge. R. Thomas Berner has visited China seven times, as recently as the fall of 2005 when he taught at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Thomas and his wife were visiting Xian when they fell victim to a scam that netted them three lovely paintings and a fairly painless lesson. We were stopped on the street in Xian, China, by an English speaking woman who said she was attending art school and asked if we would like to see some of the students? art. She told us they were selling their work to raise money to go to Germany to study. We liked some of the pieces so we bought them. A couple of days later in another section of town, we were invited to a different school and lo and behold, the same artist appeared. A few years later on an alumni tour of China, the national tour guide warned us about the scam and said that as far as he knew no one ever went to Germany. We didn?t feel terribly scammed though; the art was reasonably priced and we still have all three pieces. Tom?s advice: If you decide to shop in unofficial places, just be aware that the money you?re handing over might go into straight someone?s pocket (which isn?t necessarily a bad thing) and not toward a loftier purpose. Pat Neisser travels constantly and writes about her adventures for magazines and newspapers. Still, the veteran traveler admits to being the brunt of one of the oldest con games in the world. I was in Sophia, Bulgaria, in 1990 just after freedom from the Soviet Union came, and I saw a painting I wanted to buy in a gallery. I didn?t have enough local currency so I headed back to my hotel to change money. A man approached me on the street and offered to exchange money (he was pretty creepy and I should have known right away to decline). He took my U.S. dollars, shuffled the money, handed me a wad of the local currency, and took off. He was long gone before I realized he?d put phony money in the middle and real bills on the top and bottom. Fortunately I only lost about $25. Pat?s advice: stick to banks, hotels and reputable currency exchange offices. Jeff Wallach is a travel writer and author who has traveled to five continents over the last 20 years. His scam experience took place on his honeymoon in Turkey. I?m the kind of traveler who likes to find my own hotel and I seldom make advance reservations. I like to be able to check out a place first and to have the flexibility to shorten or extend my stay if I want to. My wife and I were on a five-week trip in Turkey and had booked the first few nights at an Istanbul hotel I?d found on the Internet. Their driver picked us up and offered to help us with reservations for the rest of our trip. I was hesitant, but he insisted he would be able to get us the very best rates and that all the hotels would be very full at this time of year. As it turned out, we were overcharged at every single hotel ? we would have gotten a cheaper rate if we?d walked in off the street. As it was, most of the hotels were empty. Jeff?s advice: if you?re used to handling all your travel arrangements yourself, then stick with that strategy. You can negotiate your rate on the spot if necessary and sometimes get very good prices. If you go through a booking service or a travel agent, get everything in writing. If you are scammed, do what I did: I went back to the owner of the travel agency and complained. Vigorously. He refunded me the difference in what I was charged and the amount I would have paid had I gotten the room reservations on my own. Amber Fiddler is a Canadian citizen who spent six months traveling on a tight budget with friends in Southeast Asia. She now works in the hospitality industry and travels on an expense account to some of the finest destinations in the world. Amber has lived in Japan and speaks some Japanese. Her story: I traveled in Vietnam with a friend from London and she told me this scam. She bought some name brand sportswear and a couple of pairs of running shoes from a Saigon shop, and almost as soon as she left the store, she was mugged. When she returned to the store about an hour later to replace one of the must-have items, she found the thief having a friendly visit with the storeowner and returning the just-stolen merchandise. Worst of all, the owner was in on it and had actually paid the thief to rob unsuspecting tourists. Amber?s advice: If possible, shop in reputable stores. Don?t carry so much that you can?t keep your items close to your body. Stay alert and don?t let a thief sneak up on you. If he does grab your stuff, scream like mad. Donna Marchetti is a food, wine and travel writer based in Ohio. She has traveled, usually solo, in Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America. Donna?s story: I was walking alone to my hotel in Manila on a rainy afternoon. When a pony cart stopped and the driver offered me a ride, I accepted. Suddenly we were on a deserted back street. The driver demanded $50 US, then another man appeared asking for money, too. I threw a few bucks to the driver and took off running with the second thief in hot pursuit. He managed to snatch a pair of glasses out of my backpack, but that was all. I made it to my hotel badly shaken. Donna?s advice: Don?t walk alone in Manila, especially if you?re a woman. Don?t get in a cart or taxi without first agreeing on a price. Better yet, hire a reputable car and driver through your hotel concierge, pay them to wait for you, and use them every time you go out. Jim Sporleder is a U.S. citizen and is conversationally fluent in German. He has traveled throughout Europe extensively. Jim?s story: I had just landed in Munich and my business colleague asked me to keep an eye on our luggage while he made a phone call. I was tending to about eight bags and had the most important one right at my feet. I glanced up and saw a man dressed in traditional Tyrolean clothing walking briskly toward me as if he had something important to say. When he was within about six feet, he suddenly took a sharp right turn and headed quickly to the escalator. My colleague returned and as we began gathering up the bags, I realized the most important one, the one at my feet, was gone. Then it became obvious ? the Tyrolean man was a diversion. While my attention was fixed on him, an accomplice made off with the bag at my feet. Jim?s advice: If you need to set an important bag down where you will be unable to maintain direct eye contact with it, place your leg through the shoulder strap so you?ll know if it is being pulled away. Rhonda Pipkin lives in Texas and is a staff writer for Photo and Travel Magazine (www.photoandtravel.com). She writes about cruises, RV and senior travel. Her story: Several years ago I traveled to Jamaica with my teenage son and daughter and some friends. Whenever we left the confines of the Wyndham Resort, several men would materialize from behind the trees and try to sell us carvings and drugs, so we were very hesitant to do any exploring on our own. One of our friends found out about a driver/guide who was for hire, and that felt safer than going out on our own. We had a couple of good days, but the third day he pulled off the side of the road where a group of men were selling handicrafts. He said we should get out and explore, we said we weren?t interested, he insisted. We decided to buy a couple of pieces to pacify him and get on down the road. The whole experience was very unnerving because the men were very aggressive with all of us women, especially my teenage daughter. Rhonda?s advice: In Jamaica, never go anywhere with a guide that has not been recommended by your hotel or travel agency. Always travel in groups and keep your teenagers close by. You don?t need to scare your kids, but they should be aware of potential danger and not wander off on their own. Mixing cultures without being educated to a particular lifestyle or mindset and customs can result in an array of consequences from embarrassment to your ending up as a headline. Jenny Pray was born in Cuba and has lived in South America, Japan, Malaysia, Hawaii, the mainland US and Guam. She is now retired and lives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Jenny speaks fluent Spanish and has traveled extensively throughout the world. Her story: I was taking the bus from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara, a five-hour trip, and I put my purse, a book and my lunch on the floor by my feet. I dozed off and when I woke up decided to read. I reached for my purse to get my glasses -- and my purse was gone! No one sitting around me seemed to know anything about it. I went up to the driver and reported the loss. ?Senora, senora, look, there?s your purse!? It had miraculously appeared in the middle of the aisle?minus most of my cash. Jenny?s advice: Whether you?re taking a nap or just sitting somewhere, always put your purse or backpack as far away from other passengers as possible, preferably against the wall or side of the vehicle. Loop the handle through your arm, and, if you?re going to nap, sleep light. Linda Hagen Miller is a travel and adventure writer who now lives in Washington State. She spent over 20 years in Asia and the Pacific and has traveled extensively throughout the world. Linda?s story: I got into a taxi in Hong Kong, gave the driver the name of the restaurant, he said, ?Yes, yes,? and I settled back to enjoy the passing scene. What should have been a short ride got longer and longer and I got suspicious. ?Almost there, almost there? he kept saying. When I made a big show of writing down his name and registration number, the restaurant miraculously appeared. Since I really wasn?t positive I?d been scammed, I had not choice but to the pay the fare. Linda?s advice: Before you leave your hotel, find how long it will take to get to your destination and what the approximate fare should be. Show the driver on a map where you?re going and make sure you agree on the fare before you set out. Then pay attention! Christine Granados was visiting Caracas, Venezuela with her husband Victor. We were going down a long escalator to get to the subway. Someone several feet ahead of us stopped and people began piling up and running into each other. We saw a wallet on the ground, saw someone bend down and pick it up, then walk away. We didn?t think anything of it. Then when we got to the subway car, someone blocked the doorway and the same thing happened again. When we got off the subway and flagged a taxi, I reached for my wallet (which was in a shoulder purse that I had been carrying in front of me, both the zipper and snap were securely fastened). My wallet was gone. Then Victor reached for his wallet and it had been stolen, too. Christine?s advice: Don?t be obvious tourists. We were carrying cameras, were speaking English and were on the subway during rush hour. Instead, be low key, don?t carry an obvious camera and keep the fact that you don?t speak the local language quiet. Avoid rush hour unless absolutely necessary. We now carry money and ID in a neck wallet under our clothing. Ron Gardner works for a state tourism office and travels frequently. He knows this is the oldest scam in the world, but she was just so darn sweet he couldn?t believe it was happening. The last time I was in Las Vegas I was walking near New York, New York and this really lovely looking lady approached me. We had a brief conversation and she was fascinated by the fact that I came from Idaho. She seemed quite attracted to me and insisted we get to know each other better. Just as I was about to invite her to join me for a cup of tea she asked how much money I had. (You saw this coming right?) Well, turns out she was only interested in the cash. I can?t tell you how disappointed and hurt I was! Ron?s advice: It?s safe to enjoy a conversation with a fetching stranger, but be extremely careful how much further you let the meeting go. Jack Goldfarb has lived in Europe and the Middle East and has visited 110 countries. He has been writing about travel for over 30 years and is now based in New York. Jack offers two stories: One morning on a sidewalk in Rome, a man carrying a small black suitcase approached me. He asked if I spoke Spanish, ?un poco? I replied. As he was explaining that he had ?contraband? suit cloth he wanted to sell, a pedestrian approached from the opposite direction and offered to help translate. The salesman then invited both of us to a nearby caf? where he bought breakfast for all. The seemingly random pedestrian peered at the goods in the case and seemed to agree to buy all of it, but when he checked his wallet, he found he didn?t have quite enough lira. The salesman said he needed to leave right away to catch a train and couldn?t wait for the local to go home and get the funds. The pedestrian asked me to loan him the shortfall (about $75 US), and said I could accompany him in a taxi to his nearby home where he would reimburse me. I thanked both signori for the breakfast and their time and bid a hasty arrivederci. Jack?s advice: Be wary of sidewalk salesmen who don't speak your lingo. You may lose more than a few words in the translation. Also from Jack Goldfarb: On a sultry afternoon in Tangiers? Casbah, four youngsters eager to speak English to an American offered me free tourist guide services. The boys crowded around me and one tawny-haired lad admired my sunglasses. He tried them on, and then put them back into my pocket. Three of the boys ? the tawny-haired fellow had disappeared ? led me through he serpentine lanes of the Casbah. In a little while, I noticed that my sunglasses were missing. Seeing I was upset, the boys demonstrated how the fourth kid must have snatched my glasses from my pocket. Then they suggested we go find him and get them back. We headed back to the piazza where we found our defiant thief, who refused to return my sunglasses. ?If you don?t hand them over,? I hissed, ?I?m straight off to the police.? He stepped behind a rickety door, reappeared, and sullenly thrust the glasses toward me. Jack?s advice: Before you leave your hotel, find how long it will take to get to your destination and what the approximate fare should be. Show the driver on a map where you?re going and make sure you agree on the fare before you set out. Then pay attention! The Safe Travel Institute adds: We do not recommend you follow anyone you don?t know -- no matter how young and innocent they seem ? into back streets, side alleys, deserted neighborhoods or lonely places. You could find yourself surrounded by urchins who aren?t as well meaning as Jack?s new friends. Jim Sporleder speaks German fluently and has traveled extensively in Europe. His story: I was camping in Barcelona, Spain with several friends. We woke up one morning to find our camp, our cars, even our tents (with us in them!) had been completely ransacked. Cameras, binoculars, wallets, purses were all stolen. All of us woke with severe headaches and some nausea and we determined that the tents must have been gassed with a mild sedative that knocked us out. Luckily, everyone always made a point to keep their passports, visas, and money in security belts or on around-the-neck pouches. We lost a lot of property but we still had our most important documents and enough money to continue our trip. A bittersweet ending, to be sure. Jim?s advice: Always keep your valuable items on your person while traveling. I even take my travel security pouch with me into the hotel bathroom when I shower. yemek tarifleri |