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14 Major Travel Scams to Avoid

On my first big trip abroad I got scammed twice on the same day.

My friend Scott and I had just arrived in Thailand . We were in Bangkok trying to find a boat cruise to take us up and down the Chao Phraya River. A taxi driver suggested this one company; we went there and found out that an hour-long tour was only $30 USD.

Not even thinking about whether that was a deal or not, we agreed. To us — still thinking about prices back home — that offer seemed like a fair price. It was only as the boat tour ended early that we realized we might have been ripped off (later on, we found out that we paid double the price).

Then, after lunch, we wandered over to the Grand Palace. When we got there, we didn’t see any crowds. We looked down the left side of the palace, then over to the right.

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

An enterprising tuk-tuk driver came over to us and told us the palace was closed for lunch. Scott and I looked at each other. Maybe that was right. After all, many museums sometimes do that, plus we didn’t see anyone around. It seemed feasible. He offered to take us to a few that were open.

“Sure,” we replied — and found ourselves visiting not only a few temples but also a suit shop, a gem shop, and a souvenir shop.

Afterward, he took us to the palace (which was unsurprisingly open). It was then we realized that it had never been closed — we had just been on the wrong side of the building.

We had been scammed.

My life as a traveler was not off to a good start.

Travel scams are real — and they vary from country to country. If you are carrying a travel guidebook , it will list the most common scams in that specific country.

To help you stay safe, today, I want to give you a list of common travel scams to avoid.

Avoiding travel scams requires a lot of common sense and a healthy dose of suspicion. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

Here are some of the more universal scams you’ll want to avoid:

Table of Contents

1. The taxi overcharge

2. your accommodation is “closed”, 3. the shell game, 4. “come in for tea and help me write a letter”, 5. free bracelets/rosemary/anything they can put on you, 6. the spill on your clothes, 7. motorbike scam, 8. the flirtatious local, 9. your attraction is closed for lunch, 10. the “found” ring, 11. the fake petition, 12. the drug deal gone bad, 13. the wrong change, 14. the switcheroo, 15. the atm scam, 16. child & injured beggars, 17. fake wi-fi hub, 18. fake currency scam, stay protected on the road.

This is one of the most common travel scams out there. Either the driver will tell you the meter is broken and try to charge you a huge rate or you’ll see the meter go higher and faster than usual

To avoid this scam, first, you need to know how much a ride should cost. I always ask the hostel or hotel staff what a ride should be so I have a frame of reference.

Next, if the cabbie tries to negotiate the rate with me, I offer him the correct rate. If he refuses, I find someone who will put the meter on. If the meter seems to be going up too quickly, I have them pull over and I get out. Many tourism boards let you report bad cab drivers so be sure to always make a mental note of their ID number when you get in the cab.

When in doubt, ask your hostel/hotel staff to call a cab for you. They will know which companies are reputable.

And never get in an unlicensed cab — no matter how amazing the deal is!  

This is another cab-driver-related scam. In this scam, your driver will tell you your hotel or hostel is overbooked or even closed. It’s not. I mean, you wouldn’t have booked it if it was, right? Just ignore them and insist on going there. If they keep trying, continue to insist. They will usually shut up about it.

And while this seems like a scam no one could possibly fall for, people do. I’ve been in many cabs where they insist my hostel has been closed for months.

A note on taxis: In this smartphone era, we have our power back. We’re no longer helpless because we can look on a map and see the actual correct route. I like to look on Google Maps and see what the best route is. If it looks like they aren’t taking it, I’ll usually point to the map and insist they go that way. (I once left a taxicab in Bangkok because he tried to pull a fast one on me by taking a longer route.)

If I’m going to a country where I won’t have phone access, I download the map onto my phone. Your phone’s GPS will work even if you don’t have a connection. Additionally, ride services like Uber place accountability on drivers, which greatly reduces the likelihood of you being cheated.  

I see this one all the time — how people fall for it I’ll never know. It’s such an old and obvious scam. It’s in movies, for heaven’s sake! You’ll see people on the street playing a card game (sometimes known as three-card Monte) or hiding a ball in a cup and someone guessing where it is and winning money. Then you decide to play — and you win! Thinking this is great, you bet more money…and then you lose — and lose again and again.

Here’s a short video on how the trick works:

Don’t get suckered into this con. Remember, the house always wins!  

While in Morocco , someone tried this travel scam on me. I was walking out of a convenience store when a guy struck up a conversation. Finding out I was from NYC , he said he had a cousin who lived there (the first giveaway) and wanted to know if I could come to his shop to write a postcard for him (the second giveaway).

The goal here was to get me in the shop, maybe give me some tea, and then pressure me into buying something. This uses the psychological principle of reciprocity: he gave me tea, he was nice to me, so soon I’ll feel socially obliged to buy something.

Similarly, a common tea scam in China involves a beautiful local woman who wants to practice English. Due to the culture shock, many men are more than happy to speak English to a friendly local. She invites you to try a tea ceremony, so you go to a tea house (commonly near the Forbidden City).

After a while, the owners bring you the bill, it’s a huge amount of money and the owner threatens to call the police unless you pay up. As most travelers don’t want any problems, they pay up.

To avoid this, don’t follow people to a second location or believe they suddenly have a cousin who happens to live exactly where you do!  

In this scam, common in Europe , a friendly person will approach you for a quick chat, then place a bracelet around your wrist or hat on your head, or give you a little sprig of rosemary. Once you have it on your person, they will demand money. When you refuse, they will begin to cause a scene in the hopes you would rather give them some money than be embarrassed.

Don’t allow anyone to put anything on your body, and be extremely wary of accepting anything for free. If they put something on you, simply take it off, give it back to them, and be firm about it. Then walk away and move on with your day. They won’t chase you.

Another common variation on this scheme is the fake monk. You’ll find this one everywhere from NYC to Europe to Asia. The “monk” will put a Buddhist bracelet on your wrist and then ask for a “donation.” Real Buddhist monks don’t wander the streets hawking cheap bracelets, so always ignore any monks that look to be peddling trinkets.  

There you are, minding your own business, and someone spills something on you. Ruins your day, but accidents happen, right? They are profusely sorry and offer to clean it up, dabbing the stain, and apologizing. While you are all flustered, they are picking your pocket. By the time you realize what has happened, they are long gone.

This scam is also common in Europe. Beware of people encroaching on your person if it’s not a crowded area already. If this happens, push people away and clean it up yourself.

Another variation on this is the “poo shoe.” Particularly common in India, this scam involves someone squirting animal poop on your shoe when you’re not looking. When you notice, they “help” you find someone to clean your shoe (or they do it themselves) for an exorbitant fee. Conversely, sometimes you will just get pickpocketed while looking down at your shoe to see what happened.

Either way, if you get poop on your shoe, be wary!  

You rent a motorbike and spend the day exploring. When you bring it back, the owner demands an additional payment or expensive repairs because there is some damage you didn’t know about. In some cases, they will have asked you to leave your passport as collateral instead of a deposit “since it’s easier.” Then, when they inspect the motorbike afterward and “find” new damage, you have to fork over a lot of money because they’re holding your passport hostage.

I see this scam a lot in Southeast Asia and other developing regions of the world.

To avoid this, take photos of the bike first to document any previous damage. Go around it with the owner so they know what you are taking pictures of. Use your own lock, and keep the bike out of sight and off a main street when you park it. Sometimes an owner will send someone to mess with the bike or steal it so you have to pay!

Also, always make sure you buy travel insurance so you can make a claim if there is an issue.

(This scam is much less common with rental cars, but it can still happen so always take photos and video of your vehicle before you leave the parking lot — and make sure the company knows you’re doing so.  

You arrive in a new country and head to a bar, where a beautiful local comes up to you for a chat. You can’t believe your luck. You have some drinks and amazing conversation and go to a new bar or club that she suggested. However, after a wild night and lots of drinks, the woman disappears and you’re forced to pay an overpriced bill with some really big guys bearing down on you to make sure you do. Or, worse, you get drugged and wake up completely robbed of everything on you.

Another thing to be aware of is that when attractive locals are sitting by themselves at a bar they might be ‘working’ (i.e. a sex worker). It’s important not to get into an uncomfortable position where you may have misread the “chemistry” for what it really was: a business transaction you need to pay for.

The simple solution to this is to be wary of attractive locals who promise to take you to the world’s best club, get you drinks, or are overly flirtatious — especially when you stand out like a sore thumb as a foreigner. Getting on a plane didn’t increase your attractiveness by a factor of 10.  

As mentioned, this is what happened to me and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker! A friendly local approaches and informs you that the attraction you want to visit is closed for any number of reasons (religious ceremony, holiday, etc.). Then they’ll guide you to a different attraction or shop, where you’re pressured to purchase something or pay a lot for entry.

To avoid this, find the main entrance or ticket counter and see for yourself. Also, keep in mind that most attractions don’t close for lunch — they close for the day. Even better, look up the open hours before you go, so you know what to expect — opening and closing times are almost always available online. Don’t be like me!  

An innocent-looking person picks up a ring on the ground and asks if you dropped it. When you say no, the person looks at the ring closely, then shows you a mark “proving” that it’s pure gold. He or she offers to sell it to you for a better price. They make some money, and you get some gold you can resell. It’s a win-win! You think it’s a good deal, buy it find out it’s fake when you try to sell it at home!

This is common in Europe . One of my tour members almost fell for it when we were in Paris, but I intervened in time and sent the person away. The best way to avoid this scam is to not buy the ring. If it sounds too good to be true, it definitely is.  

You’re at a popular tourist sight and a woman or kid (often pretending to be deaf or a student) will try to get you to sign a petition. You don’t know what they are saying, and to end the awkwardness, you sign the petition, hoping they will go away. But the petitioner then demands a cash donation. At best, anyone who falls for this scam is out some money; at worst, they’re pickpocketed while fighting with the petitioner.

Another one of my tour members fell for this scam (even after I warned him specifically about it), but I saved him in time. To avoid this scam, just ignore people coming up to you to sign a petition, especially when they are in groups and try to surround you. Just keep on walking.  

This scam is common in many developing countries — especially those with a lively party scene like in Southeast Asia. You’re in a popular tourist area and someone offers you drugs. You say yes, and before you know it, a (real) cop is on the scene! They threaten to arrest you unless you pay a fine right there (i.e., a bribe). If caught red-handed, you’ll probably pay the bribe rather than go to jail.

To avoid this scam, don’t buy illegal drugs in other countries!  

This happens a lot in countries where the bills look similar to each other. People tend to look at colors first, so when you get a pile of change that is the same color, you think you got the right change — but they really gave you the wrong bills, hoping you won’t notice until after you rush out.

To avoid getting taken, count your change carefully every time.  

This happens all over the world and mostly with shirts, carpets, rugs, and antiques. You’re at a store and you see a designer item at a bargain price. Maybe they got it wholesale? After some haggling, the owner agrees to sell it to you. But while you aren’t paying attention, he gives you a knockoff.

To avoid this scam, remember that no designer anything is going to be that cheap. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it’s not true.

Second, be sure to always watch what the seller is actually giving you to be sure it’s the exact item you wanted.  

When you go to use an ATM, a “helpful” local will approach you to help you avoid the ATM fee. What they are really doing is using a card skimmer to steal your credit card information once they get close. Often there is a second person in line pretending to be a customer who will agree with the “helpful” person’s tips.

To avoid this one, always use indoor ATMs inside a bank branch. Additionally, always check the ATM itself for a card skimmer. Here’s a video on how to do that:

Lastly, never let anyone get close to you when you’re using an ATM. If people are acting suspiciously, take your card and leave.  

This scam can be found pretty much everywhere. Usually, an injured person or young child (sometimes with their mother) will approach you and ask for money. This is a tough one because you’ll feel compelled to help. Unfortunately, a lot of children have been roped into gangs and collect money on their behalf. And sometimes, an accomplice is waiting nearby to see where you keep your wallet so they can pickpocket you later.

Since it’s impossible to know who is legit and who is faking it, I never give money to injured beggars or children. Instead, I’ll make a donation to a helpful charity or offer them food.  

These days, everyone is always on the lookout for free Wi-Fi. One common scam hackers will do is create a free unlocked Wi-Fi hub and then, once you’ve logged onto it, they steal your data.

The solution? Never join any unsecured networks and always use a VPN when you’re abroad . It will keep your data secure. Additionally, don’t access any sensitive data while on an unsecured network, such as your online bank.

If you’re not sure what network to connect to, ask the staff. Better safe than sorry!  

In cities where there are a lot of currency exchanges near popular tourist attractions, a person might come up to you and ask if you want to change some money. They’ll offer you a fantastic rate and say they don’t charge commission. They might even tell you they work for an exchange place nearby or even have some sort of name tag on. The money they show you is real and they will show you all the ways it’s NOT counterfeit.

However, once you exchange some, you’ll discover that some of the notes (usually in the middle of the stack) are fake — but by that time the person is gone. As a rule, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, so stick to reputable currency shops.

Chances are you’ve been scammed abroad at least once. It happens. But, to avoid getting ripped off in the future, be wary when it comes to people offering you something in a touristy setting . Think of it this way: in your day-to-day life back home, would you go for it?

If the answer is no, then chances are it’s a scam you need to avoid.

On the road, a little common sense goes a long way.

Worried about getting something lost, stolen, or falling for a scam? Make sure you get travel insurance coverage so that if something does happen, you can be made whole again and recover your losses! I never leave home without it! You can use the widget below to get your quote today:

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

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The 15 Biggest Travel Scams, and How to Avoid Them

The Editors

We are the editors of SmarterTravel! Together we have appeared in countless travel publications including ABC News, Huffington Post, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, and more. We dedicate our days to creating and producing expert travel content, including packing tips, general travel advice, destination inspiration, and helpful videos. Follow us across social media on YouTube , Pinterest , Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or drop us a line to say hi at [email protected]!

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You know that old saying “there’s a sucker born every minute”? Don’t be one of them. Stay ahead of these surprisingly effective travel scams to keep your vacation plans from falling apart. The schemes below may be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to travel cons, but preparing yourself for these common swindles is a good place to start.

Vacation Clubs

Wholesale travel clubs claim that you’ll have access to incredibly cheap vacations if you join. However, once you pay the joining fees, you find that the deals offered aren’t any better than what you can find for yourself online—for free. Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott , whose book Scammed lays out a helpful roadmap for being a responsible and effective shopper in a world of corporate swindles, has told SmarterTravel: “I’ve never come across a legitimate travel club. My advice is to run, don’t walk.”

Elliott advises that anyone considering joining a travel club do research with a very critical eye beforehand. Simply doing an internet search for the name of the travel company plus “travel scam” will usually reveal a host of problems experienced by other members. Also check the Better Business Bureau for complaints about the specific service before you buy.

Timeshare Sales

Ed Perkins, a longtime contributing editor at SmarterTravel, calls the up-front fees for selling your timeshare the biggest travel scam out there.

“Scammers promise to get you out from under, saying they have buyers, but all they really do is take a fee, upward of $400, and do nothing,” says Perkins.

Never pay up front to have someone help you sell your timeshare. If you want out, go to a licensed company and check them out with the Better Business Bureau before listing with them. If you’re having trouble getting out of your timeshare , work with a rental company and rent it out to recoup some of the money until you can sell.

Vacation Certificates

Ed Perkins also warns against prepaid vacation certificates: “Travel scams promise really great prices but deliver nothing. The idea here is to get the up-front money, then keep stalling: ‘Sorry, these dates are sold out; try again soon.’ They delay until people just quit trying.” Or the company charges huge additional fees to redeem the certificates, and the trip is considerably less luxurious than promised. Before prepaying for a vacation package, be sure to research fees and blackout dates, as well as the company’s reputation.

“Travel-Agent” Card Mills

Ah, the life of travel agents. Cheap hotels and airfares are thrown at their feet once they pull out their travel-agent ID cards, right? Wrong. Don’t believe the hype from outfits that promise to issue you a travel-agent ID that provides access to discounts. Scammers charge hundreds of dollars for these cards, but victims who shell out will quickly find that no place will accept the fakes, and they never see any discounts. The only way to avoid this travel scam is to not buy a travel-agent card if you’re not a travel agent—there’s really no legal way to get around it.

Car-Rental Collision Damage Waivers

Rick Steves calls the car-rental collision damage waivers (CDW) a “collision damage waiver racket” for a reason. When you rent a car, the company often pressures you to buy a CDW supplement, which will prevent you from having to pay a high insurance deductible if the car is damaged. (The deductible can be thousands of dollars before insurance kicks in.)

But most major credit cards already include deductible collision coverage for free , so check your credit-card terms and pay for the rental car with your credit card. Then you’ll be covered without having to shell out extra cash for phony insurance. Most credit-card collision coverage is secondary, meaning you have to claim from your regular insurance first. If you don’t want a claim on your insurance, you can buy third-party primary collision coverage from the booking agency for about $10-$11 a day. Or, if it’s pricey, you can instead buy coverage from an independent outlet; sites like Bonzah.com offer rental coverage from $7.99 per day. That’s about one-third of what the rental companies charge.

“You Won a Free Trip!”

If you’ve ever dropped your business card in a “win a free trip” drawing at a restaurant or signed up to win at a fair, you may have gotten a phone call, letter, or email claiming you’ve won a free vacation. These days, the hustle is often via robocall. Be wary—many of these “prizes” are actually booby traps in which you’ll have to pay hefty fees to claim the vacation or give your credit card number to “verify your eligibility,” resulting in identity theft. After a recent lull in monitoring these robocalls, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is again cracking down on them. If you’re scammed, get the names of resorts and airlines included in the prize and call them independently to verify the trip. Never give credit card information to someone who cold-calls you, and be sure to get details of the prize in writing before accepting.

Fake International Driving Permits

The FTC also warns against fake International Driving Permits (IDPs) . Some countries require tourists to have an IDP in addition to a U.S. driver’s license. However, there are only two American associations that are legally authorized to issue IDPs—the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). Fraudulent companies sell fake IDPs over the Internet, but you’ll pay hundreds of dollars for a permit only to face legal problems for using the imposter IDs in another country.

The Bait and Switch

The hotel you’re thinking of booking is suspiciously cheap, but the property’s website makes it look beautiful and centrally located. When you arrive, the hotel is run-down, missing amenities, and in a deserted part of town—and it won’t refund your money. Avoid this travel scam by using websites like Oyster (one of SmarterTravel’s sister sites) and TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent site) to read real customer reviews and see honest photos of the property.

“Grandparent” Travel Scams

Even if you’re not currently traveling, you can still be the victim of a travel scam: The State Department warns that scammers will call an older relative or friend of someone who’s away on vacation and pretend to be the traveler in desperate need of help. The scammer usually poses as the traveler or a foreign government official and directs the victim to wire a large sum of money, citing an array of things: They have been robbed and need money to return to the United States, or they have run into legal trouble and need bail money. Sometimes the scammer will even pretend to be someone from the U.S. embassy calling on behalf of the relative for money. Never wire money in response to a suspicious phone call; instead contact the State Department to ask if the situation is legitimate, or call your relative directly. If you encounter this scam, the FBI advises you report it to local authorities or a state consumer protection agency. You can also file a complaint with the FCC .

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) offers the following advice to prevent “grandparent” travel scams:

Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mothers’ maiden names, passwords, or other identifying information in response to suspicious calls or to callers demanding immediate action. Scammers can spoof the caller ID of their number to make it appear to be from a trusted source. If a caller claiming to represent a company or a government agency asks for personal information, hang up and verify the authenticity of the request by contacting the company or agency yourself, using information found on its official website or through other means such as the phone book. If a caller claims to represent a company with which you have an account—such as a utility or a bank—hang up and check the contact information on a recent bill or statement, then call the company back yourself.

Rental Property Scam

Rule of thumb: Never go to Craigslist (or anything similar) for a rental home. Scammers will place an ad and ask the victim to wire money to secure the vacation rental—and then disappear. Or they’ll have you send money to them rather than to the actual property owner. Avoid the rental scam risk by going through a reputable vacation rental site with protections and insurance guarantees such as Airbnb , HomeAway , or SmarterTravel’s sister site FlipKey , all of which will protect your money from fraudsters.

Bogus Travel Agents

Don’t trust a tour operator or packager you don’t know of or can’t find reviews of easily online—especially with a big payment. An even more worrisome version of these travel scams in the U.S. is fake versions of websites: You search for a hotel or tour and get through to what looks like a legitimate website from a known company. But it isn’t: It’s a copy-cat version run by a scamster who paid a lot of money for a good search engine position. At best, after you make a payment, the hotel will honor your reservation—but probably at a higher price than you should have paid. At worst, you get nothing.

Take a close look at the website’s URL. Unsure if it’s right? Do a new search to find the company’s homepage and compare it to the first half of the link—any rogue characters, numbers, or symbols might mean it’s a fake. You should also never pay for a service via wire transfer, or any other irreversible money-transfer system.

Currency Short-Changing

A longstanding travel scam relies on tourists’ unfamiliarity with a foreign currency. This can take various forms: counterfeit bills, miscounting change, mixing smaller bills into what should be a pile of larger notes, etc. Get to know the bills of any country you visit, and limit the amount of foreign currency you exchange and have with you at any time. Get your foreign currency from an ATM, and put all your big-ticket purchases on a credit card.

Counterfeit Event Tickets

These days, high-tech forging can make almost any piece of paper or cardboard look authentic. Don’t buy a high-priced ticket (or even a low-priced one) to a sold-out event from someone on the street or via an unfamiliar website. You might be turned away at the gate. Buy from an authorized source—the box office or an online dealer that’s a verified reseller.

Fake Tour Guides

Have you ever been walking in a tourist-frequented area and had someone approach you offering to be your guide? Of course, you would have no idea in this situation whether this person has any useful knowledge of the city, but you may be coaxed into a nearby store that they claim offers the “best” prices on local specialties.

Pre-arrange a guide through an official tourism office or a local travel agency so you can compare prices and know what you’re getting. I once arranged the best local guide I ever had through an American Express agency. A university history professor showed us the fantastic National Museum of Damascus in Syria.

Credit Card Fraud

One of many potential credit card fraud risks is the familiar “verification call” gambit. In this travel scam, within a few hours of checking into a hotel, you get a call from someone claiming to be at the front desk to “verify” the details of the card you used. Of course, that caller is a scammer with no connection to the hotel who just wants to get your card data. In this and any other situations, be highly suspicious of anyone who calls you asking for credit or debit card information, no matter how plausible the excuse may seem. Tell the caller you’ll be right down to settle the problem, and instead call a known number, like the hotel’s direct line, to settle whatever account is involved.

More from SmarterTravel:

• How to Avoid Counterfeit Money While Traveling
• 6 Cruise Scams You Should Never Fall For
• Europe Travel Scams to Watch Out For

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2012. It has been updated to reflect the most current information. Caroline Morse Teel and Ed Perkins contributed to this story.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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The weirdly common, very expensive travel scam you should avoid

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Kathy could have sworn she called Qatar Airways to change her flight last spring. Looking through her call records now, she clearly didn’t. Instead, she wound up talking to a third-party booker called Infinity Travels. She has paid Infinity thousands of dollars she may never get back, even after spending countless hours trying.

Her labyrinth of a saga is hard to keep straight. In November 2022, she realized she would need to fly back home to Canada early from a trip to visit her husband in the Middle East scheduled for the following March. She called to make the switch. Kathy, who asked to withhold her last name to protect her privacy, spent six hours on the phone in the endeavor.

Initially, she says she was told she’d need to spend 1,650 Canadian dollars on a new flight and would get a CA$2,700 credit from the airline — she wanted a refund, not a credit, and was transferred to a supposed supervisor. The next agent told her she needed to pay CA$6,990 for the new flight and that she’d receive a refund of CA$8,080 after she had taken her departing flights. She took the deal, which was confirmed in an email from Infinity. “It was dumb of me,” she says. “But by this time it was 1 am and I was so tired.”

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That refund never came through, and Kathy has been locked in a battle with Infinity for months, which is taking place over WhatsApp and the phone. Infinity claimed the initial agent who offered her the refund was fired for making unauthorized deals. A subsequent agent she spoke to — while on her vacation — told her they would refund CA$4,250, nearly half the original amount promised. That was supposed to come through if she agreed not to dispute the CA$6,990 charge, which she did. That agent seems to have disappeared, too, after allegedly being promoted to a new job.

Kathy isn’t sure how she found that wrong number to make her flight change, but it seems likely she did an internet search and called the number that came up without checking its provenance. “It’s incredibly frustrating,” she says. “For me, the money sucks to lose, but it’s more like how are they getting away with doing this? Because I’m sure there are other people.”

There are. A look at TrustPilot and the Better Business Bureau shows others have had similarly confusing experiences with Infinity.

People all over the world get sucked into a variety of travel-related schemes and scams all the time. In this day and age of vacation, sketchy websites and companies and third-party bookers abound.

Third-party booking websites and companies — meaning entities consumers can use to handle reservations without dealing directly with, for example, an airline — are everywhere. Not all of them are bad. Plenty of people use them without issue all the time, including popular ones such as Expedia, Travelocity, and Booking.com. But some of them employ shady and even fraudulent tactics.

These operations seek to get consumers’ money by saying they’ll take care of their travel plans, booking their plane tickets, hotels, and rental cars, or even helping them get their passports faster. They then go on to charge exorbitant fees for executing the transaction or making minor changes and often give consumers the runaround. Sometimes, they never reserve anything at all. Victims of these scams show up at the airport for a flight that doesn’t exist, or appear at a hotel to sleep in a room that was never booked, and their money’s just gone.

Feelings can run high when people travel, whether they’re going to an event or spending time with family and friends or just getting a much-needed and much-anticipated break. “That’s one thing scammers prey on,” said Melanie McGovern, director of public relations and social media for the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, “the emotion of it all.”

Kathy’s emotions got the better of her the night she made that payment to Infinity — endless hours on the phone will do that to you. Since then, she has gotten about CA$325 back from Qatar Airways. After months of wrangling (and after I reached out for comment for this story), Infinity returned CA$1,816 to her. She’s got all of the documentation from the ordeal: emails, text messages, recorded phone calls. It’s just not clear whether any of that matters.

Kathy still has that number she first called saved in her phone as “Qatar Airways Help,” even though that’s not what it is. When you call the number now, the person on the other end of the line simply says, “Reservations.” It’s easy to see how people get tricked.

Qatar Airways said in a statement that Infinity is a travel agent that is entitled to sell its tickets, like many others, but that as an airline, “we do not forward phone calls to travel agents, and we do not accept agents making promises on our behalf.” Infinity said in an email it was “disappointed to hear about the poor experience by this individual” and did not respond to a follow-up email.

One of the primary ways fraudulent third-party companies suck people in is with the promise of a deal. They offer a price that seems too good to be true — because it is — and people’s internet-driven deal-hunting instincts take over.

“The biggest thing we see are the people who are using a third-party website trying to get something a little bit cheaper,” McGovern said. “We know travel can be really, really expensive, and ... people are trying to find an alternative.”

That’s what happened to Sarah, who asked for her last name to be withheld to protect her privacy, when she was trying to snag a flight to Iceland to see the northern lights in late 2022. Most of the flights she found were above her $800 budget, but she found one option for $755 from a website called Travelcation. After booking the trip, she received an email from the company saying the fare she had agreed to was no longer available and had increased to $995.

Sarah noted the email had weird language and grammatical errors, as did the company’s website, upon further inspection. She then googled “Travelcation scams.” “I started reading these horror stories,” she says. She responded to the email saying she didn’t agree to the new price and alerted her bank that any attempted charge would be unauthorized. “My card never ended up getting charged, so I managed to avoid the worst of it,” she says. She took a budget-friendlier trip to Puerto Rico instead.

A spokesperson for Travelcation said in an email that in the travel industry it’s “not uncommon” for prices to fluctuate because of issues such as airline ticket availability, dynamic pricing, taxes, fees, and other charges added during the booking process.

What is uncommon, or at least should be, is for prices to fluctuate after booking.

Reporting for this story, I spoke with multiple experts and individuals about their experiences with scammy websites and travel agencies and combed through complaints to the Better Business Bureau. Many of the strategies these entities employ are quite simple — and effective.

Some websites will figure out how to game search engines like Google . Travelers might think they’re calling Delta or Hilton or Hertz but are actually on the phone with someone else because they just called whatever number came up in search results or on some website without verifying it’s right. The numbers can be completely different from the actual phone number, or they might be one or two off — and 888 instead of 800.

In the same vein, consumers wind up on these websites because they appear in their searches, sometimes because those websites have paid to rank higher. People then book there, not realizing the website is untrustworthy. The site in question then follows up with a call or email saying that the price of the booking has increased to try to squeeze more out of consumers there, or they charge super-high fees for small changes. (Assuming they make the booking at all, which doesn’t always happen.)

Jim still isn’t entirely sure how he wound up in his predicament. He called Delta’s phone number on a voice over internet service (VoIP) to book a flight to San Francisco; in his first interaction, everything seemed fine. He got a confirmation email from a company called Boketo, not Delta, but he didn’t immediately notice. A while later, he realized his middle initial was incorrect on the reservation, so he called to change it. After agreeing to pay $200 and receiving a follow-up email, this time from an outfit called Travel Makers, it dawned on him he had been duped. “That’s when I recognized that I’m an idiot,” he says.

Jim reported the charges as fraud to his credit card company, which he thought would be the end of it. But in the lead-up to his trip, he says the agent he first dealt with began calling him and harassing him, saying she would not issue his tickets unless he restored the $200 payment. In the end, the flights went just fine, although Jim was worried until he successfully boarded his plane. He asked for his last name to be withheld out of fear of more harassment from the agent.

Jim’s phone records show he did indeed call Delta’s real number, which is quite disturbing. A spokesperson for Delta recommended consumers take extra precautions when using VoIP internet calling to make sure their service is secure. “Whenever we become aware of an alleged scam targeting our customers, including in this situation, we immediately conduct an investigation. Using the facts gained from an investigation, when able, we can then address each unique situation as appropriate with the necessary legal means at our disposal,” the spokesperson said.

Boketo did not respond to a request for comment for this story. When I reached out to Travel Makers for comment, someone purporting to be from the company said that it has nothing to do with Boketo and that the situation “seems like a case of misplaced anger.” They defended the extra $200 charge. Their email address was listed as Fly Cheapest Online.

There is no surefire way to scam-proof your life or even your next vacation, but there are measures you can take to try to protect yourself.

The first step is really to slow down, take a deep breath, and pay attention to what you’re doing, said Amy Nofziger, the director of fraud victim support with AARP. It’s not always easy — people’s lives are busy, and we’re often distracted or in a hurry or stressed. But those situations are where we’re likeliest to make mistakes.

Nofziger also said to be wary of offers that are really out of step with the rest of the market. “If you find the best deal on a flight or on a car, I would be really suspect of why it’s the best deal. Go into this with the mindset that I think this is a scam until I’m proven otherwise,” she says. “Even if you think you’re going to get the deal of the century, they’re going to get the deal of the century, not you.”

If the website’s charging you $500 less than everywhere else, question why that might be. Yes, it feels good to beat the system, but there might not be a system to beat. This goes not only for hotels and flights but also, for example, for expedited passport processing, which Nofziger says AARP gets complaints about weekly. Consumers pay some website extra to get their passports faster, only to hand over sensitive personal information in exchange for no quicker service. “There really is no ‘beat the system’ with the State Department,” she says. “I suggest everyone pull their passport out today, look at when it expires, and start the process.”

If you see a website offering what appears to be a good deal, open up another browser and type the name of that site in along with words like “scam,” “fraud,” and “reviews.” You might save yourself a real headache, depending on what you find. “Do your research,” McGovern says.

Experts say it generally is better to book directly with the hotel or airline or whatever you’re trying to accomplish, or at least to start there. And triple-check the number you’re calling. Really. “Travel agents can be reputable ... but you need to be clear that who you’re talking to is who you intended to talk to,” says Summer Hull, director of content at The Points Guy. “If you intended to talk to American Airlines and you’re now talking to a travel agency, that’s a red flag.”

You should also be suspicious if you get a follow-up phone call asking for more information. “Never provide personal information to an inbound call, even to an airline,” Hull says. “They should not be calling you to ask for your confirmation number or your credit card number or your flight plan,” she said. If you’re not sure it’s legitimate, say you’ll call them back.

There can be some recourse in the event you are scammed. You can try to dispute charges as fraud with your credit card company, which is why it’s always best to pay with a credit card (and not with Venmo, crypto, or a prepaid card). You can also report your experiences on websites such as the Better Business Bureau, TrustPilot, and other places, and, if necessary, contact law enforcement. Still, options are limited.

“Most people don’t think they’re ever going to be scammed, but unfortunately, I’ve had this job for 21 years, and I don’t see it going away anytime soon,” Nofziger says.

As for Kathy, she remains stuck in what feels like a doom loop, most of her refund still pending.

We live in a world that’s constantly trying to sucker us and trick us, where we’re always surrounded by scams big and small. It can feel impossible to navigate. Every two weeks, join Emily Stewart to look at all the little ways our economic systems control and manipulate the average person. Welcome to The Big Squeeze .

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Have ideas for a future column or thoughts on this one? Email [email protected] .

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AI Travelbooks Cover

Shoddy guidebooks, promoted with deceptive reviews, have flooded Amazon in recent months.

Their authors claim to be renowned travel writers. But do they even exist? Or are they A.I. inventions?

And how widespread is the problem?

Supported by

A New Frontier for Travel Scammers: A.I.-Generated Guidebooks

By Seth Kugel and Stephen Hiltner

In March, as she planned for an upcoming trip to France, Amy Kolsky, an experienced international traveler who lives in Bucks County, Pa., visited Amazon.com and typed in a few search terms: travel , guidebook , France . Titles from a handful of trusted brands appeared near the top of the page: Rick Steves, Fodor’s, Lonely Planet. Also among the top search results was the highly rated “France Travel Guide,” by Mike Steves, who, according to an Amazon author page, is a renowned travel writer.

“I was immediately drawn by all the amazing reviews,” said Ms. Kolsky, 53, referring to what she saw at that time: universal raves and more than 100 five-star ratings. The guide promised itineraries and recommendations from locals. Its price tag — $16.99, compared with $25.49 for Rick Steves’s book on France — also caught Ms. Kolsky’s attention. She quickly ordered a paperback copy, printed by Amazon’s on-demand service.

When it arrived, Ms. Kolsky was disappointed by its vague descriptions, repetitive text and lack of itineraries. “It seemed like the guy just went on the internet, copied a whole bunch of information from Wikipedia and just pasted it in,” she said. She returned it and left a scathing one-star review.

Though she didn’t know it at the time, Ms. Kolsky had fallen victim to a new form of travel scam: shoddy guidebooks that appear to be compiled with the help of generative artificial intelligence , self-published and bolstered by sham reviews, that have proliferated in recent months on Amazon.

The books are the result of a swirling mix of modern tools: A.I. apps that can produce text and fake portraits ; websites with a seemingly endless array of stock photos and graphics; self-publishing platforms — like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing — with few guardrails against the use of A.I.; and the ability to solicit, purchase and post phony online reviews, which runs counter to Amazon’s policies and may soon face increased regulation from the Federal Trade Commission .

The use of these tools in tandem has allowed the books to rise near the top of Amazon search results and sometimes garner Amazon endorsements such as “#1 Travel Guide on Alaska.”

A recent Amazon search for the phrase “Paris Travel Guide 2023,” for example, yielded dozens of guides with that exact title. One, whose author is listed as Stuart Hartley, boasts, ungrammatically, that it is “Everything you Need to Know Before Plan a Trip to Paris.” The book itself has no further information about the author or publisher. It also has no photographs or maps, though many of its competitors have art and photography easily traceable to stock-photo sites. More than 10 other guidebooks attributed to Stuart Hartley have appeared on Amazon in recent months that rely on the same cookie-cutter design and use similar promotional language.

The Times also found similar books on a much broader range of topics, including cooking, programming, gardening, business, crafts, medicine, religion and mathematics, as well as self-help books and novels, among many other categories.

Amazon declined to answer a series of detailed questions about the books. In a statement provided by email, Lindsay Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the company, said that Amazon is constantly evaluating emerging technologies. “All publishers in the store must adhere to our content guidelines ,” she wrote. “We invest significant time and resources to ensure our guidelines are followed and remove books that do not adhere to these guidelines.”

AI Travelbooks

This is the Amazon listing for the guidebook purchased by Ms. Kolsky. At first glance, it seems legitimate.

But things start to look dubious on the “About the Author” page.

The Times was unable to locate any of Mike Steves’s previously published work. Nor could any records be found of his home or family in Edmonds, Wash. — which happens to be the home of the acclaimed travel writer Rick Steves.

Mike Steves’s author photo shows anomalies consistent with its having been created by A.I., including …

… unnatural elements on or near the ears (in this case, a partially formed earring) …

… distorted clothing …

… and a blurry and abstract background.

The distribution of the book’s reviews also raises suspicions: All are either five-star reviews — possibly purchased, solicited or written by phony accounts — or one-star reviews.

The positive reviews are generic, off-topic or nonsensical.

They contrast starkly with the one-star reviews …

… which often point to misleading claims in the book’s description: “There is no itinerary included,” Ms. Kolsky wrote.

The Times ran 35 passages from the Mike Steves book through an artificial intelligence detector from Originality.ai . The detector works by analyzing millions of records known to be created by A.I. and millions created by humans, and learning to recognize the differences between the two, explained Jonathan Gillham, the company’s founder.

The detector assigns a score of between 0 and 100, based on the percentage chance its machine-learning model believes the content was A.I.-generated. All 35 passages scored a perfect 100, meaning they were almost certainly produced by A.I.

The company claims that the version of its detector used by The Times catches more than 99 percent of A.I. passages and mistakes human text for A.I. on just under 1.6 percent of tests.

The Times identified and tested 64 other comparably formatted guidebooks, most with at least 50 reviews on Amazon, and the results were strikingly similar. Of 190 paragraphs tested with Originality.ai, 166 scored 100, and only 12 scored under 75. By comparison, the scores for passages from well-known travel brands like Rick Steves, Fodor’s, Frommer’s and Lonely Planet were nearly all under 10, meaning there was next to no chance that they were written by A.I. generators.

Amazon, A.I. and trusted travel brands

Although the rise of crowdsourcing on sites like Tripadvisor and Yelp, not to mention free online travel sites and blogs and tips from TikTok and Instagram influencers, has reduced the demand for print guidebooks and their e-book versions, they are still big sellers. On a recent day in July, nine of the top 50 travel books on Amazon — a category that includes fiction, nonfiction, memoirs and maps — were European guidebooks from Rick Steves.

Mr. Steves, reached in Stockholm around midnight after a day of researching his series’s Scandinavia guide, said he had not heard of the Mike Steves book and did not appear concerned that generative A.I. posed a threat.

“I just cannot imagine not doing it by wearing out shoes,” said Mr. Steves, who had just visited a Viking-themed restaurant and a medieval-themed competitor, and determined that the Viking one was far superior. “You’ve got to be over here talking to people and walking.”

Mr. Steves spends about 50 days a year on the road in Europe, he said, and members of his team spend another 300 to update their approximately 20 guidebooks, as well as smaller spinoffs.

But Pauline Frommer, the editorial director of the Frommer’s guidebook series and the author of a popular New York guidebook, is worried that “little bites” from the faux guidebooks are affecting their sales. Ms. Frommer said she spends three months a year testing restaurants and working on other annual updates for the book — and gaining weight she is currently trying to work off.

“And to think that some entity thinks they can just sweep the internet and put random crap down is incredibly disheartening,” she said.

Amazon has no rules forbidding content generated primarily by artificial intelligence, but the site does offer guidelines for book content , including titles, cover art and descriptions: “Books for sale on Amazon should provide a positive customer experience. We do not allow descriptive content meant to mislead customers or that doesn’t accurately represent the content of the book. We also do not allow content that’s typically disappointing to customers.”

Mr. Gillham, the founder of Originality.ai, which is based in Ontario, said his clients are largely content producers seeking to suss out contributions that are written by artificial intelligence. “In a world of A.I.-generated content,” he said, “the traceability from author to work is going to be an increasing need.”

Finding the real authors of these guidebooks can be impossible. There is no trace of the “renowned travel writer” Mike Steves, for example, having published “articles in various travel magazines and websites,” as the biography on Amazon claims. In fact, The Times could find no record of any such writer’s existence, despite conducting an extensive public records search. (Both the author photo and the biography for Mike Steves were very likely generated by A.I., The Times found.)

Mr. Gillham stressed the importance of accountability. Buying a disappointing guidebook is a waste of money, he said. But buying a guidebook that encourages readers to travel to unsafe places — “that’s dangerous and problematic,” he said.

The Times found several instances where troubling omissions and outdated information might lead travelers astray. A guidebook on Moscow published in July under the name Rebecca R. Lim — “a respected figure in the travel industry” whose Amazon author photo also appears on a website called Todo Sobre el Acido Hialurónico (“All About Hyaluronic Acid”) alongside the name Ana Burguillos — makes no mention of Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine and includes no up-to-date safety information. (The U.S. Department of State advises Americans not to travel to Russia .) And a guidebook on Lviv, Ukraine, published in May, also fails to mention the war and encourages readers to “pack your bags and get ready for an unforgettable adventure in one of Eastern Europe’s most captivating destinations.”

Sham reviews

Amazon has an anti-manipulation policy for customer reviews, though a careful examination by The Times found that many of the five-star reviews left on the shoddy guidebooks were either extremely general or nonsensical. The browser extension Fakespot , which detects what it considers “deceptive” reviews and gives each product a grade from A to F, gave many of the guidebooks a score of D or F.

Some reviews are curiously inaccurate. “This guide has been spectacular,” wrote a user named Muñeca about Mike Steves’s France guide. “Being able to choose the season to know what climate we like best, knowing that their language is English.” (The guide barely mentions the weather and clearly states that the language of France is French.)

Most of the questionably written rave reviews for the threadbare guides are from “verified purchases,” though Amazon’s definition of a “verified purchase” can include readers who downloaded the book for free.

“These reviews are making people dupes,” said Ms. Frommer. “It’s what makes people waste their money and keeps them away from real travel guides.”

Ms. Hamilton, the Amazon spokeswoman, wrote that the company has no tolerance for fake reviews. “We have clear policies that prohibit reviews abuse. We suspend, ban, and take legal action against those who violate these policies and remove inauthentic reviews.” Amazon would not say whether any specific action has been taken against the producers of the Mike Steves book and other similar books. During the reporting of this article, some of the suspicious reviews were removed from many of the books The Times examined, and a few books were taken down. Amazon said it blocked more than 200 million suspected fake reviews in 2022.

But even when Amazon does remove reviews, it can leave five-star ratings with no text. As of Aug. 3, Adam Neal’s “Spain Travel Guide 2023” had 217 reviews removed by Amazon, according to a Fakespot analysis, but still garners a 4.4 star rating, in large part because 24 of 27 reviewers who omitted a written review awarded the book five stars. “I feel like my guide cannot be the same one that everyone is rating so high,” wrote a reviewer named Sarie, who gave the book one star.

Many of the books also include “editorial reviews,” seemingly without oversight from Amazon. Some are particularly audacious, like Dreamscape Voyages’ “Paris Travel Guide 2023,” which includes fake reviews from heavy hitters like Afar magazine (“Prepare to be amazed”) and Condé Nast Traveler (“Your ultimate companion to unlocking the true essence of the City of Lights”). Both publications denied reviewing the book.

‘You’ve got to be there in the field’

Artificial intelligence experts generally agree that generative A.I. can be helpful to authors if used to enhance their own knowledge. Darby Rollins, the founder of the A.I. Author, a company that helps people and businesses leverage generative A.I. to improve their work flow and grow their businesses, found the guidebooks “very basic.”

But he could imagine good guidebooks produced with the help of artificial intelligence. “A.I. is going to augment and enhance and extend what you’re already good at doing,” he said. “If you’re already a good writer and you’re already an expert on travel in Europe, then you’re bringing experiences, perspective and insights to the table. You’re going to be able to use A.I. to help organize your thoughts and to help you create things faster.”

The real Mr. Steves was less sure about the merits of using A.I. “I don’t know where A.I. is going, I just know what makes a good guidebook,” he said. “And I think you’ve got to be there in the field to write one.”

Ms. Kolsky, who was scammed by the Mike Steves book, agreed. After returning her initial purchase, she opted instead for a trusted brand.

“I ended up buying Rick Steves,” she said.

Design by Gabriel Gianordoli . Susan Beachy contributed research.

Seth Kugel is the columnist for “ Tripped Up ,” an advice column that helps readers navigate the often confusing world of travel. More about Seth Kugel

Stephen Hiltner is an editor, writer and photojournalist on the Travel desk. More about Stephen Hiltner

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

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How to Avoid Common Travel Scams, According to the Experts

Fraud and travel experts explain how to spot the red flags and what you can do to protect yourself and your money.

Free trips. Fraudulent websites. Fake listings. Vacation rental packages that look way too good to be true. These are just a few of the many common travel scams that so many have fallen victim to. Fortunately, equipped with the right tools and knowledge, spotting these scams and recognizing the red flags ahead of time can save you the headache and your hard-earned money.

We spoke with fraud and travel experts to learn how travelers can protect themselves from common travel scams, from pickpocketing to more sophisticated strategies like setting up a phony social media profile to trick you. Below, we've gathered experts' best advice to make sure you have a fun and safe vacay.

Skip Google's sponsored search results

Double check the website address

And never click on any email or text links. “Scammers can employ sophisticated tactics, such as duplicating legitimate travel websites, creating convincing replicas that can be really difficult to spot,” notes Hannah Hood, a marketing manager and phone fraud expert at Phonely . “These fraudulent websites are designed to steal your money or personal details, posing a significant threat to your financial security and privacy. It's crucial to take proactive steps like checking the website address to ensure you're on a legitimate platform. Also, make sure it starts with https:// – this is used by any website that needs to secure users and is the fundamental backbone of all security on the internet.” When in doubt, always type in the website address yourself.

Book direct and via reputable travel sites

Becky Hart, Content Marketing Strategist of Seven Corners Travel Insurance, advises travelers to always book directly with the travel provider. “It’s tempting to go through a third party if it looks like we can get a better price. You don’t always know if that person is a legitimate seller, though.” Stick to sites you know and trust, and you may even want to avoid reputable third-party channels, as issues can arise if you need to cancel. “Even if it’s not a scam, sometimes having a go-between to get your tickets or service can create more headaches. There are more hoops to jump through if you have to cancel and want to get your money back, or if you simply have questions.”

Read the reviews

And make sure there are plenty of them. Lauren Gumport, Vice President of Communications & Brand at Faye Travel Insurance , tells us that most travel insurance policies typically don't cover scam scenarios. “Keep that in mind when booking accommodations and make sure the place you want to book has dozens of reviews before paying.”

Luxury Travel Expert Kat Fleischman agrees. “Conduct research on the property and the host. Look for reviews and ratings from previous guests and check how many stars they have or if they are a super host.” She also suggests communicating directly with the host through the platform’s messaging system. It's also a huge red flag if your host asks for payment outside of the platform.

Beware of any freebies

Assume nothing is free, and that if it sounds too good to be true then it likely is. For example, a free trip. “Look for reviews and ratings and Google the company name and the word scam for any red flags,” recommends Fleischman. “Never provide personal information or payment without doing your research first.”

At your destination, you may also be offered free gifts, like flowers or food samples. “After you accept the ‘gift,’ you’re asked for money,” notes Hart. “When in doubt about the legitimacy of the offer, simply say no thank you.”

Know the price going in

“Whether arranging a tour onsite or getting a taxi, determine the price beforehand to reduce confusion and avoid getting the runaround,” says Hart. “If you’re negotiating a ride somewhere, you might agree on the route, too. All too often, drivers will try to take you on the ‘scenic route’ to run up the meter.”

Research common scams in your destination

According to Fleischman, awareness is key to avoiding falling victim. “Be cautious when dealing with street vendors and always confirm prices before buying. Stick to reputable tour operators recommended by trusted sources, such as hotels or official tourism websites and check website reviews from other people.” Be aware of common pickpocket scams too, which are rampant in many destinations. “Keep your belongings secure, and be aware of distractions, such as strangers bumping into you or creating a commotion.”

Use ATMs located in secure, well-lit areas

If it’s inside of a bank, even better. Fleischman suggests inspecting the ATM for any signs of tampering before use too. “When exchanging currency, research the exchange rates and compare them with the rates offered by exchange offices. Count your money carefully, and examine it for any signs of counterfeiting before leaving the exchange office or ATM.”

Use reputable taxi and transport companies

This protects you and your money. “Verify that the taxi has proper identification and markings before getting in, and ensure the meter is running before starting the ride so you don't get screwed,” says Fleischman. When in doubt, have your hotel call a taxi for you. If you're used to Uber or Lyft in your country, note that service can be restricted depending on where you visit.

Will Bolsover, Founder & CEO of luxury travel outfitter Natural World Safaris , tells us another “good way for travelers to ensure that they’re getting a good price with a trusted company is to talk to a destination specialist who will be able to help them secure transfers ahead of time.”

Always choose the local currency when using a credit card abroad

No foreign transaction fees are great, but if you want to avoid inflated exchange rates, you need to choose the local currency when purchasing anything abroad with your credit card. “If you are, for example, using a US credit card while in Europe, the payment terminal will often ask whether you want to pay in USD or Euros,” explains Patricia Palacios, co-founder of España Guide , a travel website for Spain. “If you select USD, the intermediary bank will give you an awful exchange rate.”

Moreover, she recommends travelers keep an eye on the screen of the terminal during the payment process. “Because sometimes the waiter or shopkeeper doesn’t even ask you and selects whichever currency they feel like.”

Verify you’re messaging with the actual company on social media

As of late, Bolsover has seen a lot of social media customer support impersonators. “One common travel scam that’s currently taking over social media, particularly X [f.k.a. Twitter] targets those who have had a recent flight change or cancellation,” he tells us. “Customers often reach out to airline help accounts on social media to help get issues resolved, but recently they find that the accounts responding are actually scammers posing as these airlines. They use the airline's profile picture and bio, and now that anyone with a bank account can secure a blue tick, they look trustworthy to unsuspecting travelers.”

To avoid this, he advises travelers to check the handle of the account to ensure it’s from the original airline. “It’s also helpful to check how many followers the account has, as an unusually low amount indicates that the account is fake. Looking at when the account was created is also a giveaway.”

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4 Common Travel Scams And How To Avoid Them

by Melissa Giroux | Last updated Dec 21, 2022 | News

No matter which corner of the world you travel to or how far you go back in time, there are and will always be always a few people out to get you or your money.

Those who travel frequently will know the task of trying to know and dodge the most common travel scams of the moment.

So, in order to help you avoid being swindled, we’re letting you know the popular scams that are currently targeting tourists.

Fake Travel Agents

Several scammers have been posing as travel agents on social media platforms, enticing wannabe travelers to book trips through their “business.”

Imagine these tourists’ shock when they turn up at their hotel without a booking or the chunk of change they put down to secure their dream vacation.

Tip: Never book through a social media platform. Always check for a dedicated and trustworthy website. Google reviews of the brand before parting with any money.

Fake USB Ports

While USB ports in public places, such as airports and malls can be handy when your phone is on its last legs, think twice before juicing up your Android or iPhone.

Some hackers have managed to set up these ports that install malware onto your phone as they charge it.

By doing so, hackers are then able to steal personal information from you, such as your address and credit card information.

Tip: Carry a fully-charged battery pack with you when you travel.

Emirates Cash Prize

Be wary of any online competition you see plastered across social media, particularly those from airlines promising cash.

Tip: Check the airline or business’ website yourself and if you’re still uncertain, reach out to their customer service team to determine whether the competition is legitimate.

Broken Taxi Meters

Anyone who is relatively well-traveled will know that one of the easiest ways to get tourists to part with a pocketful of change is by overcharging them for a taxi.

Many visitors simply do not know to ask a driver to turn on the meter before hopping in or agree on the price beforehand.

As travelers cotton on to this trick more and more, the new scam is to pretend the meter is broken. This is another way to overcharge for the taxi fare.

Tip: If a taxi driver won’t turn on the meter, hop out and wait for another cab.

Final Thoughts

While there are countless travel scams out there, hopefully, you’ll be able to avoid some of the most common ones simply by knowing they exist. As always, use your common sense while on vacation, and don’t trust a stranger’s intentions.

Follow common safety precautions to ensure you have the perfect trip.

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Discovering The Truth: How to Spot Fake Travel Site Reviews

Shaurya Bedi

Before you finalize plans for that seemingly flawless restaurant or dismiss a hotel based on a string of disparaging comments, consider this: the online realm of travel reviews is a potential minefield of deception. The harsh reality is that a significant number of those glowing testimonials are nothing more than a mirage.

And you definitely don't want to end up in such a position.

Contrary to appearances, those reviews aren't born from genuine experiences. Instead, they are the product of ChatGPT, a freely accessible artificial intelligence tool. The so-called "visitors" behind these reviews are purely fictional entities, never having set foot in the establishments they critique.

The prevalence of fraudulent online reviews is a long-standing issue, easily identified by awkward language structures and an overabundance of generic compliments strategically employed to mask the absence of any genuine encounter with the hotel or restaurant in question.

This deception, however, extends beyond mere inconvenience; it directly impacts travel planning decisions. Unwary travelers, relying on these fabricated accounts, may be misled and their expectations shattered upon arrival. 

In this article, let's see how to spot fake travel site reviews or how to tell if reviews are fake.

What are Fake Reviews?

Fake reviews, in essence, are manipulated assessments crafted to shape public perception of a product or service. These reviews come in various shades - positive, neutral, or negative - strategically designed to boost a business's image or harm a competitor.

The impact of fake reviews on businesses is significant, primarily because they erode customers' trust in companies. Beyond damaging relationships, these deceptive evaluations greatly influence product discovery and sales. 

This is because search and ranking algorithms heavily rely on reviews as a key factor in determining visibility.

Rather than highlighting the positive aspects of a product, a fake reviewer may take a different approach by composing a negative review. Adding a twist, they might admire a competitor's product, sometimes even daring to include special promotional offers in their deceptive narrative. 

This manipulation misguides consumers and underscores the need for vigilance in navigating the landscape of online reviews.

Types of Fake Reviews

Fabricated positivity.

This involves creating a fake, positive review to deceive consumers into purchasing. The orchestrators could be the company, its employees, or even friends and relatives.

Silent Influence

Positive reviews may surface after a company sends a product to a consumer for free. The catch? The writer conveniently omits how they acquired the product, hinting at an unspoken understanding that implies a quid pro quo arrangement.

Undermining Tactics

Negative reviews on a company's site might not be genuine grievances but rather the work of friends or employees of a rival business, strategically aiming to tarnish the competition.

Selective Presentation

Some companies opt for the suppression of negative reviews on their sites. It's akin to a child showcasing only the top-scoring tests to parents and discreetly discarding the less favorable ones.

Disadvantages of Fake Reviews for Your Business

Tarnished reputation.

Fake reviews spell trouble for your reputation. Trust takes a nosedive once customers catch wind of the deception, whether through word of mouth or by spotting the lackluster quality.

SEO Setback

Search engines frown upon businesses engaging in fake reviews, jeopardizing your local and national visibility. Your hard-earned organic rankings could be on the line.

Buying reviews can land businesses in hot water, with hefty legal penalties. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is on the case, officially proposing new laws to practice nationwide.

Platform Ban

Imagine being banned from GBP. Most online platforms prohibit fake reviews, and breaking these rules can result in penalties, including removal and permanent expulsion.

Public Backlash

Caught manipulating reviews? Brace yourself for public scrutiny. A quick Google News search reveals how much coverage this topic gets.

Customer Letdown

Fake reviews set high expectations, setting the stage for disappointment when reality falls short.

Brand Distortion

Even if all reviews are positive, the risk of brand distortion looms large. Imagine sifting through thousands of purchased reviews for inaccuracies or harm to your brand's image.

Skepticism Trigger

Too many positive reviews can breed skepticism, especially without a hint of criticism. A couple of negative reviews actually contribute to authenticity and consumer confidence.

Lack of Feedback

Genuine reviews offer valuable feedback for improvement. Displaying responsiveness to such feedback builds trust with prospective customers.

Missed Opportunities

A credibility hit may translate to lost business and partnership opportunities, impacting your business's growth and bottom line.

How to Spot Fake Travel Site Reviews?

Here is how you can spot fake travel site reviews:

Look into the reviewer's profile

A quick and effective way to gauge the reliability of a travel review is to delve into the reviewer's profile. People generally share about 15 to 20 reviews of the places they have visited. If a profile boasts an excessive 1,000 reviews, they're likely receiving compensation or are automated bots.

Take a moment to observe the profile picture and name. A generic or non-human icon is a clear red flag. Similarly, a common name like John Smith could be a telltale sign of a fake review.

Don't overlook the reviews they've left for other businesses if a person has left 50 reviews, all with a one-star rating. These "negative Nancys" tend to have an unpleasant nature, and their consistently skewed reviews may not offer a trustworthy perspective on the world.

Hired reviewers tend to take shortcuts

You've got the upper hand here. Hired reviewers tend to take shortcuts. They're often a bit lazy with their reviews, so watch for signs like "limited text" or identical reviews duplicated on two or three sites. Copy and paste a snippet of the review on Google to check if it appears elsewhere.

Take it a step further by looking up the reviewer's body of work. If you stumble upon someone who's reviewed 50 different Chicago hotels, that's a red flag. People usually only hop around a few hotels in one city.

Examine Photos Carefully

A picture can speak volumes and significantly enhance the reliability of a post. Including pictures of the property or the food goes a long way in boosting the review's credibility.

However, the tricksters are onto this, too. 

They might throw in photos for an extra fee to make their fake reviews seem more authentic. One clear giveaway is when fake reviewers use celebrity photos as their avatars. 

A quick Google image search works wonders to verify a photo's legitimacy. If duplicates pop up, it's a warning sign that the image may have been snatched from another site, and caution is advised.

Tools and Techniques for Verification

Fake reviews have long plagued the travel industry since the rise of online travel agencies. While traditional methods like verifying traveler identities have been somewhat effective, a new challenge has yet to emerge. Now, a single tool can generate thousands of seemingly authentic reviews in minutes, rendering conventional approaches inadequate. 

Given the gravity of the situation, the travel industry cannot afford a lax stance in countering this problem.

To tackle the potential surge of fake reviews, the travel industry can adopt the following solutions:

Use AI Detection Technology

Employ technology to combat technological challenges. Tools like  Originality.AI , boasting over 90% accuracy in detecting AI content, can be integrated into travel portals using their APIs to verify customer reviews at scale.

Establish Social Monitoring Teams

Recognize the value of social proof but with a critical eye. Set up social monitoring teams responsible for human oversight of reviews. Develop flexible review submission guidelines, ensuring only genuine travelers can provide feedback. Adapt policies as generative AI evolves.

Create Customer Education Resources

Empower customers with knowledge to combat fake reviews. Use insights from AI detection tools and social monitoring teams to develop digital assets explaining the fake review ecosystem. To educate and inform, distribute these resources at various touchpoints in the customer buying cycle.

How to Report Fake Reviews on Google?

Reporting fake reviews on Google involves a straightforward process. Follow these steps to bring attention to suspicious or deceptive reviews:

• Locate the specific review you believe is fake on Google Maps or the business's Google My Business page.
• Look for the flag icon next to the review. This icon is typically found near the user's name or at the bottom of the review.
• Click on the flag icon, and a reporting option menu will appear. Select the option that aptly describes the issue. Google usually provides choices like " Conflict of Interest ," "Offensive Content," or "Spam."
• Google may prompt you to explain why you believe the review is fake. Take this opportunity to explain the specific reasons behind your suspicion. Include any relevant details that can help Google assess the review's authenticity.
• Once you've selected the appropriate option and provided additional details, submit the report. Google will review the information and take appropriate action if they find the review to violate their policies.

Virtual Assistants for Protecting Your Travel Site

Virtual assistants play a pivotal role in safeguarding your travel site from various threats and ensuring the integrity of user experiences. These versatile individuals employ various tools and techniques to identify and mitigate risks, such as spotting fake reviews, monitoring online activities, and implementing security measures. 

• A virtual assistant can scour the web to identify  travel sites  and pinpoint relevant reviews for analysis. The assistant locates reviews on popular travel platforms like TripAdvisor and Yelp, focusing on a specific destination or company.
• The virtual assistant collects comprehensive data about the travel destinations and companies under scrutiny. It compiles details such as location, services offered, and customer experiences from official websites and reliable sources.
• Create a set of criteria to systematically assess the authenticity of travel review sites. Criteria may include consistency, language quality, and reviewer history to establish benchmarks for genuine feedback.
• The  virtual assistant  verifies review details by cross-referencing information from various platforms and sources. They compare TripAdvisor,  Google review widget , and social media reviews to ensure consistency or identify discrepancies.
• Scrutinize the profiles of reviewers to identify any irregularities or conflicting information. The assistant discovers a reviewer claiming to be a frequent traveler but with inconsistent hotel choices.
• Employ reverse image search tools to confirm the authenticity of photos attached to reviews. The assistant discovers that a picturesque travel photo is a stock image rather than a customer's experience.
• Analyze reviews for biases or emotional language that may indicate a lack of objectivity. Recognizing overly positive or negative language that suggests a biased viewpoint.
• Assemble a comprehensive report detailing the findings of the review analysis. The report includes a list of identified fake reviews, evidence, and supporting details.
• Initiate communication with travel site platforms to report and address the identified fake reviews. The assistant sends detailed reports to the relevant platforms, highlighting the suspicious nature of  specific reviews .
• Suggest improvements to existing review verification systems based on the identified issues. Additional verification steps or incorporating AI tools are recommended to enhance the accuracy of the review screening process.
• Continuously refine the criteria list to adapt to emerging patterns and insights. The assistant modifies criteria to include new indicators of potential fake reviews based on ongoing analysis.
• Keep you informed about evolving trends and developments in the travel industry related to fake reviews. Keeping abreast of industry news to understand emerging tactics employed by fake reviewers.
• Stay proactive by researching and proposing innovative tools and techniques for enhancing the verification process and recommending the adoption of advanced AI algorithms or sentiment analysis tool for more accurate review assessments.

Wishup: Spotting Fake Reviews Seamlessly

Wishup is a versatile virtual assistant service that streamlines various business tasks, offering bookkeeping services among its comprehensive offerings. They can also help identify fake reviews if you are wondering how to spot a fake review.

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Wishup ensures client satisfaction by offering a replacement policy without unnecessary inquiries.

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Wishup instills confidence in its services by providing a risk-free trial period for businesses to evaluate their virtual assistant's capabilities.

Conclusion 

Did you understand how to spot fake reviews? The critical reviews you leave may impact your future choices. In light of this, vigilance against fake reviews and applying critical thinking become paramount. By employing the tips discussed, you empower yourself to make informed travel decisions. 

Wishup stands ready to assist in this journey, offering expert virtual assistants to streamline tasks and enhance your travel site experience. 

For further guidance, don't hesitate to reach out through a  free consultation  or email us at [email protected] . Happy and secure travels!

FAQs: How To Spot Fake Travel Site Reviews

How can we detect fake reviews.

Employing various tools and techniques, such as scrutinizing reviewer profiles, cross-checking information, and using AI detection technology, helps in detecting fake reviews. Look for inconsistencies, biases, and suspicious patterns to make informed assessments.

How does TripAdvisor spot fake reviews?

TripAdvisor employs automated systems and human moderation to spot fake reviews. They use algorithms and AI technology to analyze patterns and behaviors, complemented by a dedicated team that manually reviews content to ensure authenticity.

Is there an app to see if reviews are real?

Yes, there are apps and online tools designed to help users determine the authenticity of reviews. Originality.AI is an example, with over 90% accuracy in detecting AI-generated content. Additionally, performing a reverse image search and using tools like Fakespot can aid in verifying the legitimacy of reviews.

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TRAVEL SCAMS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2021

Travelpro Travel Expert Editor

Travel Planning

As things are getting back to normal, travel has been increasing, which means travel scams are on the rise again as well. And not just the old scams like fake wifi hubs or gifts of rosemary or bracelets — there are plenty of new ones coming up that travelers should be aware of.

As you’re making plans, hackers and cybercriminals are trying everything they can to get personal information from you via fake airfare packages, hotel deals, and more. They know people like travel deals and might sometimes consider a new travel provider, even if they’ve never heard of that provider before. So these   travel scams   are happening before you even leave for the airport!

The problem is, if the travelers don’t do the right research or take every special offer with a grain of salt, they’re more likely to fall for some of these tricks. Here are a few travel scams that we’re hearing about in 2021.

Scammers posing as well-known brands.

On any given day, you may get a call from a local number of someone you don’t know. The voice on the other end is a pre-recorded message, and you get pretty good at spotting those calls and recognizing the telltale pause before the person starts speaking. When it’s not an extended car warranty, it could be someone saying they’re from an airline, hotel, or even cruise line and they either have an offer, or there’s a problem with your account.

Or you get an email from a fake travel provider. It’s one thing if you’ve booked tickets or made reservations, because they may actually email you. But beware of those emails out of the blue, because there’s a good chance those are fake. You can tell if an email is fake if it’s sent from a domain other than the actual travel provider’s domain. Also, hover over different hyperlinks and see what address pops up — again, they should point back to the provider’s domain. If you’re not sure whether the email is legitimate, don’t click any of the links; go straight to the website from your browser and log into your account the normal way.

Vacation rental scams.

Looking at vacation rentals online can be relaxing and it’s fun to daydream about the properties you’re seeing. The photos are attractive and you can lose yourself in the descriptions of the amenities and the incredible environment you could be in.

The problem is, just like the scammers are posing as well-known brands, other scammers are putting up websites for fake rental properties and accepting credit cards to hold reservations. Except the rental doesn’t exist   OR   the property doesn’t look nearly as good as the photos would have you believe. Use Google Earth and Google Street View to check out the property, and be sure to read reviews on Yelp, Google Business, and Trip Advisor. Finally, do a Google search for the property name “in quotes” and see what comes up.

Car rental scams.

The car rental shortage has presented an opportunity for plenty of travel scams. I don’t know how many people I’ve heard from who said they showed up at a car rental agency only to find that they’re out of cars.

But that’s not the scam!   That’s the problem that leads to the scam.

No, the travel scams come in the form of new, unknown car rental agencies that seem to have plenty of rental cars available, according to their websites. They pay a lot of money to post social media ads and build extensive websites all to find people who are desperate for rental cars.

The other part of the scam is that they’ll try to get you to use a gift card and to pay upfront for the car. Don’t fall for this. They use this method so you can’t issue a chargeback on your credit card and seize your money back. No real travel provider will ask for payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards.

Fake airline sites.

Some scammers are even creating fake airline websites just to get people to send money to them. They can look like credible airline sites, or even third-party travel sites similar to Expedia and Kayak. But they’ll use domain names that make you think they’re the real deal, like KayakFlights.com (which is not a real website). A less-savvy traveler might think, “Oh, Kayak has a site just for flights now” and use the website.

Just like the car rental travel scams, these sites will ask you to pay via non-traceable payments like gift cards or cryptocurrency.

TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry.

Be careful if you’re researching TSA rules or if you’re looking to renew your Pre-Check status. For one thing, the official website is TSA. GOV , not .COM or .ORG. So just in case the travel scammers manage to get a fake TSA site high in the search rankings, you’re better off just going straight to the official website via your browser’s address bar and renewing your membership there.

Travel scams are getting more sophisticated. Now, instead of just watching out for pickpockets, money exchange fraudsters, or fake taxi cabs, the cybercriminals are getting in on the act.

What are some travel scams you know about? Have you ever encountered any in the last few years? What are some things we should watch out for? Tell us about it (we promise not to tell!)   on our Facebook page , or   on our Twitter stream . You can also find us on our   Instagram page at @TravelproIntl .

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The Travels of BBQboy and Spanky

Why I’ve had it with Instagrammers (and some travel bloggers)

It took a couple of days of the “post pandemic new normal” to be reminded of something that drives me crazy . Instagrammers. There they were, 2 girls, one in an all-blue outfit, another in an all-red outfit, both carrying handbags with flowers that matched their outfits. They stood by a wall of flowers, posing and pouting, the two alternatively taking photos of each other.

I’ve seen it so many times, these tag teams of girls (or sometimes a girl and her boyfriend). It bothers me. And not only because they’ll monopolize monuments or scenic viewpoints with their endless photo taking but also because they, in my opinion, represent everything that’s wrong with the “travel experience” today.

You might be thinking “ but Frank, these are just a couple of people travelling and taking photos of themselves. Why do you have to crap on that? ”. My answer to that is that it’s not just people “taking photos of themselves”. People have always taken photos of themselves on vacation. “Instagramming” is very different. The goal of Instagramming is not so much the destination and the experience but the selling of the personality/lifestyle/or a product. Whereas the person taking a photo of themselves on vacation does it to capture a moment, the instagrammer/influencer goes out with the intention of taking photos in a certain location. When you see a woman posing in a red dress and heels on a mountaintop, do you ever wonder how she hiked the mountain wearing that? Obviously she set out for that hike with a change of clothing packed away and a goal of spending a few hours posing for photos. We’ve seen first-hand people changing their outfits right in front of us for just that right Instagram photo.

Here are a bunch of reasons why I’m fed up with Instagrammers.

It reduces travel to it’s “instagrammability”.

What’s travel about? Is it about experiences (good and bad) and learning about a destination? Or is it about getting a photo of yourself in front a famous place?

According to a survey, 40% of Millennials chose a holiday destination based on Instagrammability . It’s the biggest determining factor for Millennials in choosing a holiday destination.

Obviously, as full-time “slow” travellers, Instagrammability runs totally opposite to why we travel. Sure we want to see historic sights and incredible vistas. They attract us to places as well. But going there to get a perfect photo of ourselves in those places so that we can post it on social media doesn’t even register as a reason for going. We find it an extremely shallow reason to visit a place.

Forget about the reason you’re going somewhere. How are you portraying it? I can show you a thousand photos that we’ve taken (sorry, without us in them. Selfies are not our thing) in beautiful and/or historic settings. But does that photo reflect the reality of travel to that destination? Because we’ve got some great photos from places we really didn’t enjoy. Morocco, for example, is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been and I could fool you, based on Instagram, into thinking I loved Morocco. In actual fact there were a lot of things about Morocco that I really hated .

I’ve written about it before – I have a big issue with the way Media (and I’ll get to Travel Bloggers a bit later) romanticise places. It’s hard to sell a place as a destination to go to if you’re being negative about it. And since Instagram is about selling ‘the dream’, all you see and read are influencers and bloggers gushing all over themselves about how great places are. There’s very little that’s ‘real’ anymore*.

* I haven’t even gotten into the digital manipulation of photos. From Instagrammers deleting crowds from their photos or inserting themselves into landscapes, it’s very hard to know what’s real anymore.

They promote the same places

It’s usually the same places: Santorini, the Maldives, London, New York, Bali, the Amalfi Coast. It’s a loop – if people want to go to the most Instagrammable places then all the places you’ll see promoted on Instagram are all the Instagrammable places. And since travel companies with big budgets throw money at Influencers to promote their destinations, you’ll usually end up with the same places constantly being promoted. National Geographic wrote about it here: How Instagram is Changing Travel .

People have always followed the crowds. But Instagram has just added to that herd mentality. The end result are over-rated and over-crowded destinations – and destinations that are overlooked just because they’re deemed not Instagram-worthy.

It’s all about vanity and status…with no substance

A few years ago we visited Bamberg. We were on a bridge looking out over the famous Altes Rathaus when a girl quickly came up from behind, walking backwards, to the edge of the bridge. The reason she was walking backwards was that she was taking photos of herself with the Rathaus in the background. For 5 minutes she posed and took photos. Finished, she walked away. Never once during those 5 minutes did she ever turn to look at the scenery, the entirety of the time was spent looking at herself on her camera screen.

I know I mentioned above that Instagrammers go to all the same places. But the crazy thing is that those places are just a setting for their photos. It’s really all about them. And it’s about them showing off the places they go…but not really engaging with that place.

Somebody recently brought up something to me that stuck in my mind. Remember before digital cameras when we all had a roll of film in our cameras (25 years ago? I know I was a bit late to the digital game…). During that time, with about 24 or 36 photos to a roll of film, everyone was careful about the photos they took. Do you think, during that time, people took selfie after selfie? The answer is no. And if you did then I’m sure people thought you were the vainest, most self-absorbed person on the planet.

So how did we get from there to here?

And then there are Travel Bloggers….

Travel blogging for me was just a natural extension of my loves of travel, photography and writing. The blog has been a place where I could both document my travels and express my thoughts on travel related subjects.

It’s not a coincidence that, as Instagram has taken over social media, that travel blogging has become increasingly vapid. It’s become “Instagram-centric”: a world of posed photos, self-indulgent platitudes, and “woke” hashtags. It’s the same travel bloggers that talk about sustainable travel, yoga, and vegetarianism (yes, we’ve met a lot of those. Then you find out they eat meat and can’t name the type of yoga they practice). And it’s the same travel bloggers who post those Instagram photos telling you how much they love a place – and when you meet them in person they cry about their whole experience and tell you about how they haven’t left their apartment in 2 weeks because the people were “horrible” and the city “dirty”…

They’re also the same bloggers that, along with social media influencers, ask hotels and restaurants for free stays and free meals in return for a mention on their social media platforms. So much so that it’s created a backlash among people in the hospitality and restauration industry.

I’ve become so disillusioned with it all that, if ever asked, I never tell people that I’m a travel blogger anymore. I’m now a “Travel writer”.

Instagram?? As far as I’m concerned it’s a place to watch funny dog videos when on the toilet. Otherwise I’d basically fed up with it.

Related: reasons why i don’t visit your blog.

Related: When People tell us that “we’re lucky” to Travel Full-time…

Related: Loving the Hate. The most “popular” posts on the Blog

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Reader interactions.

November 16, 2023 at 9:38 am

It’s all good man! Kind of agree with you. Sustainable travel is an oxymoron. Usually means a horde of the aforementioned influencers swarming a once pristine area 😢

May 30, 2023 at 11:58 am

I and my boyfriend are 24 and 29 respectively.

The last two years, since our work went remote, we have been traveling around the world and staying in places for one to two months at a time.

During COVID, most of these places were quite tame. But as we are all now out of that period, he and I are noticing an insane influx of these awful robot vanity people.

Just the other day I was at an amazing intimate music event in the white sand cliffs near Lisbon. Behind the musicians was an absolute HORDE of influencers, decked out to the nines, flashing hundreds of pictures.

I’m honestly not even sure how you can have the patience to take that many pictures.

And several of them had brought professional camera men with them. When filming, they danced about. The second the camera was done, off came the smile and gone was the dancing.

It made everything about the event feel so icky and artificial. Especially because they were just everywhere.

Consistently I’m feeling this the more places we visit. The presence of these inconsiderate a*%holes makes these beautiful spots feel artificial and dull.

That’s all to say – agree with everything here! Well written!

May 10, 2023 at 11:29 pm

I won’t write a book here so I’ll just say you’ve only begun to scratch the surface of the countless ways this “look at me” generation is ruining travel and the places they travel to. I find myself thanking you in a comment again for being an honest voice in this swill puppy mill of an industry that is travel writing.

May 12, 2023 at 10:20 pm

Thank you JD 🙂

October 13, 2022 at 10:12 pm

Oh Frank ! Couldn’t agree with you more. I find it all very irritating and depressing.

September 12, 2022 at 12:03 pm

Agree 100% with all of this. I’ve removed almost all travel blogs from my rss feed (yes, I still use that) as result. And I’ve been looking into some skinny jeans myself. Vasectomies are expensive.

February 13, 2023 at 2:44 pm

Yep. 110%. I see you’ve been following our Bangladesh travels. We rarely take selfies, (except beer pics). Our photos are way more attractive without us in them. It’s hard to get a feel for a place when people are pouting and preening in front of the main attraction!

September 8, 2022 at 7:46 am

Hey Frank…always enjoy these posts from you and your analysis.

As I was reading this post I was recalling a girl I had seen on Easter Island. There were a handful of people just after sunrise in front of some Moai on the ocean’s edge. It was a peaceful somewhat spiritual moment. The girl had set up a tripod w her camera. And over and over she ran and danced up to Moai, looking somewhat foolish and really detracting from the moment.

June 3, 2022 at 9:34 am

Oh yes… I would not write about it on my blog as I prefer to focus on positivity; but I am also fed up with all this travel blogging/social industry. I started my very first blog in 2007, to share my trip to Morocco with my family and friends. Then, I created a YouTube channel as I had so many amazing experiences during local ceremonies. When I quit my secured and well paid job in 2017, it was not in order to travel the world – for free. But after 19 years, I could not stand anymore the way the company I was a manager in, was treating customers and employees… I have lived in the Basque country – and now at a few minutes from it – since 2000. I collected, for my own needs and pleasure, 100 of the most traditional festivals of the Basque Country; then I shared it on my blog… And this is how my work in my area was noticed by some local guides who proposed me to become a tour guide and trained me – at that time, I was “only” famous in India for my work in Tribal areas in Central India. I am even considered by a lot of Indians as an expert in Tribal culture. Nowadays, I run both a homestay – I rent a holiday flat in my house – my own travel services in my area and my blogs (my westie dog also has hos blog). I promote the homestay and guiding services of 3 of my very good friends in India and Indonesia; and when I travel in my area, I pay for my trip and tell only at the end of my stay “who I am”… Staying independent, honest and transparent with my readers and clients is much more important than anything else. I will certainly never become rich, I will certainly never have millions of readers, I will never travel for free; but I am totally aligned with my values and my clients feel it. Last month, I had my first clients for homestay + guiding from USA – they told me about your article a few days ago! – and more and more people first come only for a few nights here, then come back for my homestay + guiding services. I am not the friend of most French travel offices although I recommend them on my blog – nonsense… – because most of the time they see me as a competitor when I say I am a travel blogger, and a competitor too when I say I am a tour guide and homestay provider (yes, French tourism offices now seem to mostly care about money and offer paid tours, accomodations, etc. If you visit them in person, they will only give you general brochures…). But they have no problem working with big local websites only writing sponsored articles to promote businesses, withpout mentioning it – I still don’t understand how readers are blindly trusting them and why Google does not sanction them for not displaying the legal mentions… They only do ads and it is mentioned nowhere… So, I don’t care. Time to time, I plan a trip around to improve my knowledge, directly go to the local farmer selling goat cheese, the local restaurant offering lamb barbecue in a cave, the local homestay with an history, etc. If I like, I work with them; if I don’t like, I don’t talk…

March 12, 2022 at 11:11 am

I agree, don’t like fake polished photos on instagram. I prefer to follow real people with real photos:)

November 8, 2021 at 7:28 pm

Ha, great article. Hits the nail on the head and I totally agree – I write and post photos reflecting my own interests, particularly in landscape and nature related themes, (probably very nerdy and sometimes several thousand words at a time. which Is no doubt way too long for today’s average attention spans). I don’t make money from it and you won’t find hashtags or hyperlinks cluttering up the text; my view is that hopefully one or 2 people (other nerds perhaps) might come across my posts and find them interesting – that’s just fine by me. As mentioned, the dreaded V-loggers are quite the worst; usually some totally over-the-top, nauseating and uniformed couple sprouting out a non stop stream of complete gibberish… don’t get me started ! By the way I think it was one of your blog posts about Bacharach on the Rhine that persuaded me to take a group of friend there for a reunion; nice place ! (we were there in late October and about the only people in the whole place).

November 12, 2021 at 4:12 pm

Hi Ian, Thanks for the comment. Great to hear you enjoyed Bacharach!

July 13, 2021 at 3:20 pm

Hi Frank, I enjoyed reading your post! And I also totally agree. Isa and I, we both read very few travel blogs. And I HATE these listicle with “things you have to see” that usually include the obvious sights from trip adviser. I guess we are in the lucky position to make money from the guidebooks, travel articles and the tourguiding (not now though….) and we have the freedom to write whatever we want on the blog. I am very shy to advertise the blog, although I should do it more maybe. But actually I like Instagram – I like seeing amazing pictures of places from other people as well as posting our own pictures. We have been blogging for 15 years now – with a lot of ups and downs, I guess we can go for another 10 (at least…).

June 30, 2021 at 3:28 pm

I also identify myself as a travel writer, it’s almost as if “blogger” now has a bad rap thanks to all the reasons you mentioned in your post. I was truly hoping the pandemic would clean house, so-to-speak, and cause the phonies who write from their mother’s basement to fade away. Every aspect of travel, has changed in the past 18 months. I kind of think (hope) the days of “influencers” have peeked, but time will tell. I know several authentic travel bloggers that have stopped publishing. In part because of the pandemic, but also because of what has happened to the industry thanks to influencers who promised the moon and stars and gave nothing in return. It tainted the travel writing industry and made it that much harder for honest writers/bloggers to gain ground.

I’ve come so close to bailing on all social media, but we do have authentic followers through the platforms so I keep going, (except Twitter. Loathe Twitter) but not anywhere near what I did pre-pandemic. And, I completely agree with your assessment of Pinterest. The algorithms are all over the place and I’ve given up on trying to figure it out. Every time I see a Pin on Pinterest titled “25 best ….” I pass right by. It’s just regurgitating what they’ve pulled from the internet. Funny though, Pinterest continues to be my biggest referrer. Go figure.

Truthfully, I’ve given thought (more than once) to throwing in the towel like some of my colleagues have done, but so far I keep talking myself out of it. I like what I do and I figure it’s worth hanging in until I see how/if/when the industry comes back to life.

July 1, 2021 at 1:41 pm

Agree with everything you say Patti. I remember starting in 2013 (about the same time as you if I remember well) and it was totally different. There was a sense of community around bloggers, there wasn’t so much competition (lots of readers to go around right?), and it wasn’t all about making money. You know what’s really bugged me? Bloggers you and I know who, during the pandemic, have continued on as if the pandemic never happened. They haven’t even tried to be current and relevant.

I think we’ve had this conversation before. But I think we have to do it because we enjoy it. The day I don’t anymore I’ll quit. In the meantime I’ll continue writing and maybe incorporate a few different things to evolve with the time. But in the end it has to be fun.

September 21, 2021 at 9:50 pm

Really enjoyed your article, i remember being on Pink Street in Lisbon, sitting outside the canned restaurant, eating my lovely meal & the whole 3 course lunch, watch a couple of young ladies take 100’s of pictures instead of enjoying the vibe/buzz of being in a foreign city.

September 23, 2021 at 5:14 pm

Exactly. Thanks Sadie.

June 30, 2021 at 12:08 pm

Hey Frank, couldn’t agree more! The problem hasn’t gone away, and in fact seems to be growing at an alarming rate of knots. In fact, the insta-wannabes have infiltrated so much of society that I’m almost embarrassed to get my camera out at a beauty spot. Just in case I’m mistaken for one.

Like you, as a blogger I’ve always tried to be honest, and balance the good with the bad, because truth is all that matters. Yet in recent years I’ve struggled to come up with the gripes, so I worry that I come across as being overly gushy sometimes. Maybe I’m just so damn good at organising our trips thanks to countless hours of anally researching our destinations, that it’s having a detrimental effect on the balanced writing! Having said that, I wrote an honest review of a complimentary stay (pre-pandemic) where several things weren’t right, proceeded to receive a sh*t ton of grief from the manager, who then told me he’d fired the poor guy who’d originally set up the trip with me, because of what I wrote. I’d been very fair, and given them ample opportunity to comment before publishing, but nada. I stuck to my guns, and after perusing their Trip Advisor page (always good for a laugh at the shocking management responses), I can see they’ve changed nothing. At least I didn’t fall off a cliff whilst pouting and posing for the ‘gram though.

Still sad you don’t love Morocco as much as us, but to be fair, it terrified us on our first trip (I know you’ve been before too). It was only after multiple visits that we ‘got’ it. So there’s still hope, ha ha.

Of course the real reason I’m not a fedora-wearing floaty dress swishing instagrammer is because I look mighty daft in hats 😉

July 1, 2021 at 1:30 pm

“I’m almost embarrassed to get my camera out at a beauty spot” – yes, I’ve been feeling like that too.

You guys mostly stay in pretty chic places whereas travelling full-time we spend time in Airbnbs. Makes for totally different experiences. I think when we travel again our travels will be more like yours, a week of two somewhere, because we can’t be leaving our new apartment for months at a time. How you travel makes all the difference especially in places like Morocco where I combined basic Riads and cross-country public buses with private drivers and upscale Riads. If I ever came back to Morocco I would do it on the upper end, I think you can really only appreciate Morocco that way. It’s a country where you need a buffer.

Where was your negative experience Heather?

Never noticed you to look daft in hats. You should see me in a tuque.

July 2, 2021 at 1:22 pm

Staying in upmarket places certainly does put a certain spin on things, and yes, if I’d been subjected to dubious guest houses and public transport in Morocco I’m sure my view would be completely different. Not sure I’m ever going to put that to the test though 😉

It was Sri Lanka!

That’s coz I never wear them, ha ha. Had to google tuque. I’m sure you could pull one off if you had to 😉

June 30, 2021 at 2:12 am

I appreciate the rant, Frank! Yours is the only travel blog that I actually still subscribe to. I discovered it a few years ago when trying to decide on whether to go the Prague or Budapest with the couple of extra days we had on our trip. You had written a very detailed post on exactly that! (We went to Budapest and loved it! And we used your list of ruin bars!) Many travel bloggers gloss over the destination without being very specific and everything comes out rosy. Instagrammers just provide a pretty picture without substance. Us fans in Canada are thankful for your approach! Keep doing what you do!

June 30, 2021 at 6:40 am

Very kind Tonja, thank you so much!

And please make sure to also visit Prague. Both great cities but Prague will always be our favorite 🙂

June 28, 2021 at 12:40 pm

there are posts out there from some that ive read where they talk about the best places to ‘instagram’. I know what you mean. And people get annoyed at you for not instagramming (for want of a better word) for a month. Well, i hadnt been anywhere! the fact is you can take pics of yourself wherever you are. the idea of travel to a spot on the earth so you can pose there is pretty fucking sad, please excuse my french, if you ask me.

June 28, 2021 at 11:07 pm

Yes, I’ve seen a million of those posts Andy. Like the “100 best Instagram spots in London”. I’ve been to a few cities where there’s a sign indicating where to take a photo. Imagine, they’re telling you where to take a photo so that you can have the same f*ing photo as everyone else. Blows the mind.

We’re totally on the same page.

June 28, 2021 at 10:37 am

Frank, I agree with all of the above and tbh I am very disillusioned with social media in general and don’t actually read many blogs anymore. Many of the blogs I used to enjoy have now become just about making money and clickbait. They are now just full of adverts and boring (not yours btw) and you can’t even trust their recommendations. Some people blog about places that they have not even visited. I don’t think things will get any better as far as social media is concerned. Not sure what the answer is either.

June 28, 2021 at 11:48 am

Oh, writing about places they’ve never been to before. Can’t agree more! That really pisses me off. Particularly when they write about somewhere you live! Or write about the ‘best Australian road trip’, without having even visited Australia.

I have no problems with people making money – if it’s good quality. For the record, I do support a few bicycle tourers via Patreon. But only because their video content is good, and they’ve put a ton of time into it. One of them, though, has decided to pause billing because they’re not doing much at the moment.

June 28, 2021 at 11:03 pm

I’ve seen more and more bloggers (like Nomadic Matt and Adventurous Kate) turning to Patreon to make money since all their other revenue streams dried up. But I’ve always wondered who would pay for that. I understand in your case since you’re an avid cyclist and want access to info that maybe you can’t get anywhere else. But otherwise, do people care what Adventurous Kate is wearing and what books she read last month? Because if so I can find a lot of shit to write about 🙂

June 28, 2021 at 11:38 pm

I once read Nomadic Matt, years ago. Seemed a little self-entitled, in my opinion. At some point, i will write blog posts, and/or do a YT video, about equipment I use. But that’s practical and useful information. if people want to see what I read last month, I guess I could always add a social link to my Goodreads account. 🙂 I promise I won’t make a blog post or video about which toothpaste I use or the colour of my socks. 😀

June 28, 2021 at 11:53 pm

He’s a typical young white American. And he writes young, but at least he’s honest. That’s rare these days.

Yes, I can see what you mention being of interest. It’s niche. People want to have practical and useful info. I’ve actually been doing some reading on bike circuits here in Spain and it’s not always obvious figuring out if bike routes are dedicated bike paths, lanes reserved on the side of the road, or just recommended circuits. So first hand info is valuable…

June 28, 2021 at 10:48 pm

“Some people blog about places that they have not even visited” – exactly Gilda! That’s the new thing. And you’re right about clickbait as well.

I’ve stuck with many of the usual blogs but have become disillusioned by them. Reading them you won’t know that we’ve had a pandemic for the last 14 months or so, they’re still writing about the top places to visit in Atlanta or the best shoes to wear on a hike. I like to hear stories and it’s amazing to me reading blogs of “full-time travellers” and having no idea how they’ve coped or what they’ve done for the last year and a half. If you really want to be cynical, you can say they just don’t care about their readers…

June 28, 2021 at 2:53 am

Couldn’t agree more! My least favorite type of shot is a girl standing in front of a monument, back to the camera, wearing a straw hat and floaty dress. Those could be the same girl photoshopped onto several pictures. I have an Instagram account because my husband and I like photography and I have a small number of friends who are on Instagram. But like you, we don’t take a lot of pictures of ourselves and my account only has very few that I felt like posting. Some of our good photos have become our wall art.

Travel blogs have just either become reservoirs for “Top 10…” that regurgitate content already out there or another way to post pictures with absolutely no commentary or personal experiences. Those bloggers make so much money from being influencers that they probably hire people from content mills to write stuff for them. It’s only good blogs like yours that I’ll come back to for the storytelling and as a resource before I plan our travel (if we ever get out of here!)

June 28, 2021 at 10:42 pm

Appreciate that last sentence Claudine. Thank you!!

How about the girl, wearing that same straw hat (of course!), but from behind with her hand extending out leading you somewhere. Haven’t you seen that a million times?

I don’t know how many people actually make money from being influencers Claudine. I think there’s a select few. But there’s a lot of posing and faking going on…

June 29, 2021 at 2:50 am

Hah! Yes, I forgot about the girl pointing to somewhere!

Since I have to hire writers for some of what I do, I see many writers listing travel writing as one of their specialties. I’ve also seen job postings for travel writers and most of them are not for big magazine publications. I think the money is there if you focus on SEO. They’re not influencers really because they aren’t very visible blog owners like Nomadic Matt, but they are very strategic with what they write about. Once they get big enough they just need a few long-term sponsors to add to their already good display ad and affiliate revenue streams. These are the people who haven’t even been to the places they write about!

YouTube is a whole different beast and there are Vloggers who make hundreds of thousands of dollars once they get the snowball moving. Many of them hire video editors eventually.

June 29, 2021 at 2:07 pm

Thanks Claudine. Are you maybe talking about websites like Planetware, the Crazy Tourist, and the Culture Trip? Generic type websites that typically generate Top 10 lists for different cities/countries?

June 29, 2021 at 3:52 pm

The ones you mention are larger than what I’m thinking of and they don’t have faces to the blogs I think so I don’t really count them as travel blogs. The ones I’m thinking of are run by 1 person or a couple. Savoredjourneys comes to mind. Some of their photos are not theirs and there are lots of “best of” type articles. Another is Travelaway.me.

June 29, 2021 at 8:13 pm

Interesting, never heard of them.

June 29, 2021 at 2:54 am

Forgot to say that I’ve now followed you on Instagram. I’m surprised you haven’t posted this article’s featured image there. It’s hilarious :-))

June 29, 2021 at 2:09 pm

I do very little on IG (or other social media) Claudine. Sometimes I wonder if I should outsource that. But I’m horrible at it and I just don’t enjoy it…

Maybe I should post it there but I might get blacklisted 🙂

June 29, 2021 at 3:57 pm

Yeah, social media marketing is pretty boring and from what I know about it, you can’t get traction without doing lots of it regularly. I do know that Pinterest is the best one for travel blogs and anything visual because each pin is a direct link to an article, unlike Instagram. There’s a software called Tailwind where you can schedule posts for Pinterest and Instagram so that they appear at a time when most people are on there. It has other features like a hashtag finder, etc.

June 29, 2021 at 8:18 pm

Ha! I’ve used Pinterest for years and used to have good traffic. In 2019 put in a lot of time, coded all my pins, put pins in posts, got Tailwind…it did absolutely nothing. Last year stopped altogether and dropped Tailwind. I still get the same traffic I did during that time. They’ve played with the algorithm and it’s totally screwed up. Not worth the time. Just like Facebook…8 years ago it was all about getting FB followers and then FB decided that your own followers shouldn’t see your posts. Social Media is bullshit and these companies try to get you hooked and then do a switch and bait so that you spend to promote. I think it works for people who know the game and that they’re usually people who do it for a living full-time. But I think the ordinary blogger isn’t getting anywhere these days on social media unless they pay for it…

June 28, 2021 at 12:10 am

You’re preaching to the choir. I don’t even think I have an Instagram account. If I do it’s because my Millenial daughter set it up. I had a blog a decade ago to muse about politics, travels, family anecdotes etc. it was my diary out loud. But I’m too lazy to do that. I used to subscribe to other blogs, but only read yours, because you travel, as opposed to vacation. Influencers are narcissists and usually couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag. Thanks for sharing the good with the bad. I fell in love with Prachuap Kiri Khan. Went for a few days, extended to two weeks. The monkeys were truly as obnoxious as you asserted. And in heat when I visited February 2019, my last time out of the US. I look forward to time in Spain in 2022. Keep up the honesty. You’re much appreciated.

June 28, 2021 at 10:34 pm

Very sweet comment, thank you Marti. And makes me really happy that you enjoyed PKK as we did. Was it just for a holiday? Do you have any intentions of ever going back? Funny we kind of hated Hua Hin, but PKK was our kind of paradise.

I joined Instagram because if you’re a blogger you’re always trying to reach new people. But IG a lost cause for me. Unless I can get Lissette to pose in bikinis or we get a funny looking dog and teach him weird tricks.

June 27, 2021 at 11:45 pm

Frank, can I add another type of fake social media traveler? Here it is: the Youtubers/vloggers who travel for 2,3,4 years staying in hostels and AirBnBs, and then they hit couple 100K followers and now they are staying at lavish resorts all comped because of the “audience” they now have! These same people complain that a museum charges more than $10 USD, and then state on the videos that the admission was too high for them to afford to go in, sorry…Or, they have Patreon accounts that allow viewers to send x dollars a month, while they are making $30-100K/month from Youtube! To top all of this off, they think that viewers are too stupid to see how they are conned!

I canceled subscriptions on Youtube to many, many of these phonies! No more, no way, no how!

June 28, 2021 at 10:28 pm

Gee, I got into the wrong type of blogging John!

Youtube/vloggers not my thing. I have no patience to sit through a 20 minute video. But if you have an example pls feel free to send to me privately, I’d be curious to see an example of what you’re talking about (and yes, many of these Influencers suddenly start thinking they’re god’s gift…)

June 27, 2021 at 10:30 pm

Oh, I 100% agree! They’re so self-centred, don’t care about anyone else. All they want to do is to ‘get their shot’. I hate the term ‘influencer’. Such an arrogant term. Instagrammers have ruined a lot of travel. Their travel blogging is generally rubbish, too. Ok, mine’s not great. But I don’t blog just to sell myself. I blog (and currently not a great deal at the moment) because I like documenting what I experience.

June 28, 2021 at 10:06 pm

I agree with everything you say Stephen.

In the end, I think the best blogging is by people who love/care about what they do. I think that comes through. It might not be the most polished stuff, it might not sell to most people, but if you love what you do that comes across to people who care about what you have to write about. So I wouldn’t worry about that. Some of the bloggers I’ve met don’t really care about blogging – they got into it because they saw it as a way to source their travels. And maybe it does…but long term will they continue through the ups and downs of blogging? I don’t think so.

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How To Avoid Travel Agency Scams (And Fake Booking Sites)

Fraudsters advertise cheap travel via fake websites, social media ads, and phishing messages. Learn how to spot and avoid common online travel scams.

Irina Maltseva

Contributor at Aura

Irina Maltseva is a growth marketer with 10+ years of experience in digital marketing. After being scammed by Airbnb and Booking.com, Irina joined Aura to help the company on its mission to create a safer internet for everyone.

Jory MacKay

Aura Cybersecurity Editor

Jory MacKay is a writer and award-winning editor with over a decade of experience for online and print publications. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Victoria and a passion for helping people identify and avoid fraud.

Aura’s app keeps you safe from scams, fraud, and identity theft. Try Aura for free.

In this article:

Aura’s digital security app keeps your family safe from scams, fraud, and identity theft.

Is It Safe To Book With an Online Travel Agent? 

It’s more common than ever for Americans to book travel online, either directly or through a third-party booking site. But is it safe to book travel online? Not always.

Scammers use fake, spoofed, or misleading online travel booking websites to steal your money and passwords or gather personal information that they can use to steal your identity. According to a recent survey [ * ]:

35% of American travelers say they’ve been scammed while booking online travel.

While travel agency scams pose a year-round threat, they become especially dangerous during the holiday scam season when more people are looking for travel deals to visit family or get away on vacations. 

In this guide, we’ll explain how online travel booking scams work, the latest schemes to watch out for, and how you can stay safe and find a great deal on your next flight, hotel, or vacation.

{{show-toc}}

What Are Travel Agency Scams? How Do They Work?

Travel agency scams occur when fraudsters advertise cheap airfare or “free” vacations on fake websites and social media ads, or through phishing emails, texts, and calls — and then trick you into sharing sensitive information or sending money.

What makes travel booking scams so dangerous is that travelers are accustomed to providing payment and personal information when paying for flights. This includes everything from your credit card numbers to your Social Security number (SSN), passport details, and full address. 

If scammers get access to this kind of personal information, they can use it to steal your identity , empty your bank account, or take over your online accounts .

Here’s how a typical travel agency scam works: 

• Fraudsters create fake travel agencies, or they spoof popular booking sites like Booking.com and Expedia . Most travel scams involve fake — but legitimate-looking — websites for travel companies. Fraudsters may create their own discount travel websites or even spoof popular booking sites. Some scammers even post fake support phone numbers on Google in hopes that you’ll call them when you need to book or change flight details.
• When you call or book online, you’re asked for personal and financial information. These scam services are designed to harvest your personal information or steal your payment details. Even if you end up with a legitimate flight, your information can be sold online to other scammers or identity thieves. (Stolen and forged American passports sell for an average of $850 on the Dark Web [ * ].)
• After booking, you discover that the flight details are different. Fraudulent airline ticket confirmation numbers won’t match real flights, and hotels won’t know about your reservation. If you try to call the “agency” back to resolve these issues, either their number will be disconnected or they’ll pressure you into paying more to “solve” the problem.

While some travel scams are flat out fraud, others are run by legitimate companies that charge excessive add-on fees, have non-existent refund policies, or sell misleading offers at too-good-to-be true discounts. 

The bottom line: Falling for a travel agency scam can put you and your family at risk of fraud or even identity theft. Consider protecting yourself with Aura’s all-in-one digital security solution. Learn more about how Aura keeps you safe from scams, fraud, and identity theft →

The 5 Latest Travel Agency and Online Booking Scams

• Spoofed Booking.com , Expedia , and other booking sites
• Unfamiliar websites offering bargain deals for expensive flights
• Fraudulent airline customer support numbers in Google searches
• Robocalls or messages offering "free" vacation packages
• Follow-up phone calls asking for more information about your booking

Creating online travel and airline scams isa high priority for scammers who know that people are willing to pay serious money and provide sensitive information to get good deals on flights and hotels. 

Here are some of the latest online booking scams to look out for.

1. Spoofed Booking.com , Expedia , and other booking sites

Scammers know that many people who book travel online trust sites like Expedia , Booking.com , and Airbnb . 

In this scam, fraudsters create look-alike websites to mirror these booking platforms, and then link to them via phishing emails or social media ads. But if you book a flight, hotel, or vacation rental through one of these spoofed sites, you’ll lose your money and hand over sensitive information to cybercriminals.

These look-alikes aren’t limited to booking sites. Scammers also spoof major airline carriers — phishing for airline credentials and stealing credit card information that users store in their accounts. 

How to spot and avoid a fake or spoofed travel booking website:

• Double-check the URL. Scammers create websites with URLs that look similar to sites with which you’re familiar (such as Airbnb-booking.com ). Always make sure you’re on the company’s official domain before entering any information. For added protection, check the site’s SSL certificate by clicking on the padlock icon next to the URL, and make sure it was issued to the travel company through which you’re trying to book your reservation.  
• Hover over links in emails before clicking. If you receive an email or see an ad promoting a travel deal, check the link before clicking to ensure that it leads to the company’s official website. 
• Be wary if your usual login information doesn’t work. Fake websites won’t know your username and password. If you get an error when trying to log in, or if you’re redirected back to the login page, you may have given your password to fraudsters. Quickly log in and change your credentials to secure your account.  ‍
• Don’t store financial data in your loyalty accounts. Scammers can crack your password or steal it from a bogus site, giving them full access to your credit card details. Although inconvenient, it’s much safer to physically type in your credit card or loyalty plan number each time you make a purchase.

2. Sketchy travel agencies offering bargain deals for expensive flights

One of the most common travel booking scams involves con artists advertising cheap travel packages on social media platforms or via phishing scams. But this is much more elaborate than just a fake ticket scam. 

Fraudsters purchase and sell what’s called a “reservation hold.” This is a tool used by legitimate travel agencies to hold a ticket price without paying the full amount. When you purchase a “hold,” you receive an official email or text from the airline with a booking confirmation number that works — but only for a week, until the hold expires. 

How to spot and avoid a discount travel scam:

• Avoid “too good to be true” deals. Heavily discounted plane tickets or vacation deals are red flags. If you can’t find the same or a similar deal on the airline’s website (or on trustworthy third-party booking sites), it’s most likely a scam. 
• Always request that an e-ticket number be sent to you. Holds can look identical to travel confirmations but won’t contain a ticket number. If you haven’t given up your payment information yet, don’t — it’s a scam.

💡 Related: How To Spot and Avoid the Latest Airline Scams →

3. Fraudulent airline customer support numbers in Google searches

Scammers list their phone numbers as airline customer service hotlines to attract a constant flow of potential victims. People desperate to change or rebook their flights search for the airline’s customer service phone number via Google, and call one of the first results to show up — not realizing that it may have been manipulated by scammers. 

How to tell if you’ve called a spam number:

• You called a number that appeared in a Google search. Victims have reported calling spoofed customer service numbers that appeared to be from Air France , Delta , American Airlines , and Southwest Airlines [ * ]. The best way to ensure that you call a verified support line is to go to the airline’s official website, find its customer service center, and call the number listed there.
• You’re redirected multiple times. Scammers use technology to spoof their phone numbers to include U.S.-based area codes. When you call those numbers, you’ll speak to someone who redirects you to an international phone number. This may happen several times before you speak with a “representative.”
• They send you texts from a different number. Help desk employees send a confirmation to you via text from a phone number you’ve never seen before. Sometimes, these texts contain spelling or grammatical errors or incorrect flight information.

💡 Related: How To Identify a Scammer On The Phone (With Examples) →

4. Robocalls or messages offering "free" vacation packages

While the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prevents legitimate telemarketing companies from calling you without your consent, scammers still use robocalls to target millions of potential victims every day [ * ]. 

One of the most popular schemes involves offering “free” vacation packages, or claiming you’re the winner of a sweepstakes you never entered. If you accept the prize, you end up either paying more for a bad vacation — or worse. 

Here’s what could happen on a “free” vacation:

• You’re hard-sold during a timeshare presentation. As part of the “prize,” fraudsters may pressure you into buying into an expensive real estate timeshare in Mexico (or other foreign countries).
• You have to pay for taxes, fees, and other hidden costs. While the flight and hotel may be free, scammers ask for your credit card information to pay for expensive (and unmentioned) fees, taxes, and costs. 
• Your hotel and flight are significantly worse than promised. When you ask specific questions about accommodations and activities, scammers say it’s “highly rated” or “luxury” instead of providing concrete details. You’re almost certainly not getting a five-star hotel for free from a random robocall.
• You won’t have travel insurance. These holidays won’t offer or be covered by travel insurance, meaning that if you have a medical emergency, or if a natural disaster prevents you from traveling, you’ll be on the hook. 

The bottom line: If you’re offered or told that you’ve won a free vacation from a random robocall, it’s a scam. To keep you safe, Aura uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically screen your incoming calls and texts, and can block scammers before they reach you. Learn more about how Aura saves you from spam and scams →

5. Follow-up phone calls asking for more information about your booking

In this sophisticated scam, fraudsters use cheap or last-minute flights as bait — and then call you directly after you book to claim that there was an issue with your personal information, credit card, or the flight itself. 

For example, they may claim they need your SSN to “secure” your ticket, or that your credit card was declined and you will lose the ticket unless you use a wire transfer or payment app. 

How to tell if someone is scamming you over the phone:

• They called you. Consider any incoming call from an unfamiliar number or person a red flag. If someone calls you claiming to be from an airline or travel agency, hang up and call them back via the company’s official phone number. 
• You’re put under pressure to act now . Phone scammers want you to act while they have you on the phone. If someone threatens you with fees or “losing” a flight that you’ve already paid for, this is a huge red flag. 
• You’re asked to pay via alternative methods. Legitimate companies will not ask you to pay via gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrencies, or payment apps like Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App. Always try to book and pay with your credit card, as it offers the highest level of consumer and fraud protections.

Did You Fall for a Travel Agency Scam? Do This

Whether you sent money or gave sensitive information to a fake travel booking site, you need to act quickly to protect yourself from fraud and identity theft. 

Here’s what to do if you think you’ve been the victim of a travel agency scam: 

• Secure your identity and online accounts. Fake travel booking websites can steal your passwords or give hackers enough information to access your other online accounts (email, online banking, etc.). Make sure you’re using unique and strong passwords across all of your accounts. For added security, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever possible. 
• Freeze your credit. A credit freeze can prevent fraudsters from using your stolen information to take out loans or open accounts in your name. To freeze your credit, contact each of the three credit bureaus individually: TransUnion , Experian , and Equifax .
• File a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). An official identity theft report with the FTC is required to dispute fraud and protect you against some of the worst dangers of identity theft . You can file a report online at IdentityTheft.gov. 
• Check your bank and credit statements. Carefully review your latest transactions, and look for any suspicious activity. You can also run a free credit report on AnnualCreditReport.com to look for signs of identity theft, such as unfamiliar loans, accounts, or mortgages.
• Notify your bank’s fraud department. Call your bank’s official customer service line and ask to close any compromised accounts or cards. They’ll be able to help you open new ones and recommend additional security features.
• Report the scam to the proper authorities. There are different agencies to contact, depending on the type of scam to which you’ve fallen prey (and what happened). If you have information that could lead to an arrest, file a police report with local law enforcement. To file a consumer complaint against a company in the travel industry, contact your state’s attorney general’s office . You can also help protect other victims by reporting the scam to the FBI and the FTC.
• Try to get your money back. Your ability to get a refund after a scam depends on the payment method used. For example, if you sent a scammer gift cards, contact the company or retailer from which you bought the cards. For payment apps like Venmo or Zelle, you can try to reverse pending payments. Here’s a full guide on how to get your money back . 
• Monitor your passport numbers and other sensitive information. Scammers may wait to use your stolen personal information, which is why it’s so important to monitor your identity and credit. Try Aura’s award-winning identity theft protection solution free for 14 days to monitor your sensitive information and get access to 24/7 White Glove Fraud Resolution support and up to $5 million in identity theft insurance. 

How To Stay Safe While Booking Online Travel

While everyone would love to get a great deal on their next trip, legitimate deals are hard to find. 

The truth is that, in most cases, the best and safest thing you can do is book through official channels. It may cost a bit more, but you’ll know that your flight is real and that you’ll have access to proper support in the case of a problem. 

If you choose to use a third-party booking site or travel agency, make sure you follow these steps to keep yourself and your family safe: 

• Google “travel agencies” and check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Do a Google search for [Agency/website] + “scam” or “fraud” to find reviews or warnings from previous customers. You can also check the company’s reviews on the Better Business Bureau ’s website.
• Use standard payment methods. Credit card providers offer fraud protection and limited liability if you do get scammed — which is much safer compared to other payment options such as debit cards, payment apps, wire transfers, and gift cards. 
• Use a virtual private network (VPN) when shopping for flights. A VPN will block your location, IP address, and other information from websites, making it harder for scammers to target you with tailored airline scams. As an added bonus, using a VPN can often uncover legitimate deals on flights. 
• Don’t disclose personal information over the phone. If someone calls you and requests sensitive information — such as your passport details , SSN, credit card numbers, or 2FA codes — it’s almost certainly a scam. Hang up, and contact the company or agency directly. 

Booking travel online doesn’t have to be risky — especially if you protect yourself with Aura’s all-in-one digital security solution. 

With Aura, you get award-winning identity theft protection with the industry’s fastest fraud alerts, advanced digital security tools to protect you from hacking and online scams, 24/7 U.S.-based White Glove Fraud Resolution support, and up to $5 million in identity theft insurance for you and your family. 

Don’t let travel scammers ruin your trip. Try Aura free for 14 days .

Award-winning identity theft protection with AI-powered digital security tools, 24/7 White Glove support, and more. Try Aura for free.

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Travelers beware: business trips are coming back – and so is data fraud

We take a look at data fraud and how to keep travelers’ data safe as travel resumes. Read on to find out exactly what you need to avoid data fraud.

By Liudmila Buga

February 9, 2024

What is travel data fraud?

Travel data fraud is when fraudsters take advantage of the online nature of the travel business to create fake bookings, bookings with stolen credit cards, and other scams for the purpose of personal gains.  This means that they make bookings with stolen or fake credit cards, create websites to offer fake holidays or flights that don’t actually exist.  This presents a big problem for OTAs and airlines because fraud can cause great reputational damage.

What are the most common frauds in the travel and tourism industry?

1. fake travel websites.

Fraudsters create a fake travel website to sell airline tickets, hotel rooms, vehicle rentals or package holiday deals. They can even clone apps and place them in third party websites, and use malware to take over the device once the app is downloaded.

Pro tip: Don’t book from a website you don’t recognize. Instead rely on a reliable TMC like GetGoing for all your business travel needs. 

2. Cyber breaches

With the travel industry processing tons of sensitive data by the minute, cyber attackers use bots to target this information.

Pro tip: Cyber breaches are incredibly damaging to your reputation so be sure to have a strong series of protections in place. Hire an IT security professional, the investment is worth it. 

3. Charges with stolen credit cards

Making travel puchases with stolen credit cards may be one of the easiest (and most damaging scams). Normally the scam starts by phishing for credit card information and identifying personal details.  This can result in chargebacks and a tremendous loss of revenue for travel providers. 

Pro tip: Monitor your credit card payments, and have a series of controls in place like captcha or one-time codes to avoid possible threats.

4. Account takeovers

An account takeover happens when an attacker manages to get a hold of a travel agent’s account and makes transaction posing as the travel agent. 

Pro tip:   Use a VPN and two-factor authentication for logging in to GDS and other travel platforms. 

5. Unused ticket fraud

Unused tickets seems like an unlikely scam, but in fact, unused tickets are under an individual traveler’s name rather than a company or organization’s name, making it easier to fraud the company. Keep track of unused tickets with a travel management platform and keep your information safe. Find out everything about unused tickets .

What travel managers and travelers should know about data fraud

Most travelers are not even aware of what happens to their travel data, when they book business or leisure trips.  Don’t assume booking your trip through an online travel agency, ends your data journey there.  In fact, your data may be forwarded to several suppliers, including airlines, hotels, rental cars, rail, loyalty program providers, and others.

Then whenever you book a ticket with a credit card, the relevant information is shared with the credit card company and billing office. Same if you make a duty-free purchase at the airport – the store captures details of your purchase, including your name, airline ticket information, destination and credit card number. And if you’re traveling to a destination where your travel data must be sent in advance, so that you may enter, your data is shared with authorities and organizations of the respective country.

You got the point,  data fraud is a real threat  – your data is being collected, processed, used, and stored multiple times. And it’s vulnerable to attack or to be compromised in each situation. 

What can companies do to protect their employees

A best practice for companies is to always find out how the travel agency or travel management company protects data against three basic threats:  loss of availability ,  integrity , and  confidentiality . Companies should expect travel agencies to provide a fully integrated and audited Information Security Management System (ISMS) for threat protection.

Beware of data fraud from fraudsters posing as CEOs

Companies should be aware of so-called “CEO Fraud” messages.  The sender poses as a member of management and tries to get an employee to perform a certain action, such as transferring a certain amount of money to a certain account. Sometimes they can pretend to be a CEO and use a phishing email to convince a travel agent to book multiple round-trip flights. Often, fraudsters are successful with their tricks by exploiting the willingness of an employee to help their boss.

Work with a TMC that has strong anti-fraud policies

It’s important for companies when looking with a travel management company (TMC) to work with that they consider the protections the TMC provides. In the case of  GetGoing , we check bookings with IATA Perseuss, the world’s leading fraud intelligence platform, allowing airlines and other suppliers to work together to identify and combat fraudulent activity. If GetGoing detects a fraudulent booking, we initiate a cancellation and communication process.

Educate employees on how to detect emails from fraudsters

We all need to be on the lookout for phishing, fake emails or messages that try to trick us into falling for a scam. However, detecting the emails has become much harder. The scammers are intelligent and DarkNet programs are designed to bypass antivirus detection products. It remains a “cat-and-mouse game” between the scammers and the information security industry.

Related article

6 Hotel features that business travelers really care about

What should business travelers do to protect themselves from fraud?

If you’re taking a business trip, keep these four tips in mind:

• Go secure : Don’t log in to corporate accounts over free public Wi-Fi hotspots. The information is vulnerable to interceptions.
• Go paperless : Keep itineraries and travel documents on your password-protected mobile device.
• Go humble : Don’t share travel dates and locations on social media. This information can be used by fraudsters for social engineering attacks.
• Go quietly : Don’t talk loudly about business in public places like the hotel bar or on the train on the phone. You would be amazed at the information one gets just by listening. And be on the lookout for “shoulder surfers” – anyone glancing over your shoulder to steal information.

Want to find a travel management platform that does the heavy lifting for you, while keeping your data safe?

Note to consumers or potential employees: Please do not respond to anyone asking for funds for remote work jobs since these are illegal phishing attempts not representing BCD Travel or its website getgoing.com. BCD would never ask for money in advance of employment. If you have been a victim of this phishing attack, please contact local law enforcement.

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Category Archives: Fake Travel Blogs

Visiting the abbey.

I am finishing my stay at the most extraordinary castle I have ever seen. Highclere Castle is not only the set of show “Downton Abbey”, it has a rich history worth studying. When driving up the Newberry country side, lush beauty blew me away. The green grass stretched on for miles. My driver said,”You should …

Continue reading “Visiting the Abbey”

From the Local Landscape

Sveiki! I recently came back home from a trip to Riga, Latvia! Located in northern Europe, its cuisine mimics the gorgeous forested surroundings. They also use a lot of fish scene they are on the bordering the Baltic sea. I am highly impressed by the earthy and robust flavors of Latvian cuisine. Some of the …

Continue reading “From the Local Landscape”

From Frokost to Kevldsmat

I recently took a trip to Oslo, Norway and was very surprised by their style of cuisine. The locals have been using recipes passed down from their ancestors that have been a tradition for many years. It makes one want to enjoy the dishes with a loved one. I met a Mother-Daughter business partner duo …

Continue reading “From Frokost to Kevldsmat”

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Fake Travel Agencies in Ghana: Guide to Recognizing and Avoiding Them

Traveling is an exciting experience, but it can quickly turn into a nightmare if you fall victim to a fake travel agency. Unfortunately, Ghana has seen an increase in fraudulent travel agencies that prey on unsuspecting individuals looking to book a trip. It’s essential to be aware of the warning signs and know how to spot fake travel agencies in Ghana before it’s too late. Since there are fake travel agencies, there are also some best travel and tour agencies in Ghana you should consider working with.

In this ultimate guide, Mrpocu.com will provide you with all the necessary information to recognize and avoid fake travel agencies in Ghana . From red flags to look out for to tips on how to verify an agency’s legitimacy, we’ve got you covered. Don’t let scammers ruin your travel plans. Follow our guide to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip.

Table of Contents

Common Scams And Techniques Used By Fake Travel Agencies

Fake travel agencies use various scams and techniques to lure unsuspecting travelers into their traps. One of the most common scams is to offer unbelievable discounts and exclusive deals that are too good to be true. They may also claim to have connections with major airlines or hotels and offer packages that are not available to the public. Another technique used by fake travel agencies is to create fake websites and social media accounts that mimic legitimate travel agencies. They steal logos, photos, and other content from genuine travel agencies and use them to create an illusion of credibility. They may also use fake reviews and testimonials to create a false sense of trust.

Another common technique used by fake travel agencies in Ghana is to ask for upfront payments or deposits before providing any service. They may claim that the payment is necessary to secure your booking or to take advantage of a limited-time offer. Once they receive the payment, they may disappear or provide subpar services that fall short of your expectations. Some fake travel agencies may even ask for personal information such as your passport details, credit card information, or social security number. They may use this information for identity theft or other fraudulent activities.

It’s essential to be aware of these scams and techniques and to avoid any travel agency that uses them. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Always do your research and verify the legitimacy of a travel agency before making any payments or sharing personal information.

How To Recognize A Fake Travel Agency

Recognizing a fake travel agency can be challenging, especially if you’re not familiar with the warning signs. However, there are a few things to look out for that can help you spot a fake travel agency.

First, pay attention to the website and social media accounts of the travel agency. Fake travel agencies often use low-quality images, spelling errors, and poor website design. They may also have a limited online presence or lack reviews and testimonials from previous customers. Genuine travel agencies in Ghana invest in their online presence and ensure that their websites and social media accounts are professional and up-to-date.

Second, be wary of travel agencies that ask for upfront payments or deposits before providing any service. Genuine travel agencies usually require a deposit or payment only after confirming your booking and providing you with a detailed itinerary. They also provide flexible payment options and secure payment gateways.

Third, check the credentials and affiliations of the travel agency. Genuine travel agencies are registered with the Ghana Tourism Authority and have affiliations with reputable travel organizations such as IATA and ASTA. They also have trained and knowledgeable staff who can provide you with expert advice and assistance.

Tips For Avoiding Fake Travel Agencies in Ghana

Avoiding fake travel agencies requires a combination of research, caution, and common sense. Here are some tips to help you avoid falling victim to a fake travel agency:

Do your research

Before booking any travel arrangements, research the travel agency online. Check their website, social media accounts, and reviews from previous customers. Ensure that the travel agency is registered with the Ghana Tourism Authority and has affiliations with reputable travel organizations.

Use trusted sources

Use trusted sources such as travel agents, tour operators, or reputable online travel agencies to book your travel arrangements. These sources have established relationships with airlines, hotels, and other travel providers and can offer you competitive prices and reliable service.

Verify the legitimacy of the travel agency

Verify the legitimacy of the travel agency by checking their credentials, affiliations, and staff qualifications. Ask for references from previous customers and contact them to confirm their experience.

Be cautious of exclusive deals and discounts

Be cautious of travel agencies that offer exclusive deals and discounts that are too good to be true. These offers may be a trap to lure you into making upfront payments or sharing personal information.

Use secure payment options:

Use secure payment options such as credit cards or PayPal to make payments. Avoid making cash payments or using wire transfers, as these methods are difficult to trace and may not offer fraud protection.

Researching And Verifying A Travel Agency

Researching and verifying a travel agency is a crucial step in avoiding fake travel agencies. Here are some tips to help you research and verify a travel agency:

• Check their website and social media accounts

Check the travel agency’s website and social media accounts for information about their services, credentials, and affiliations. Look for reviews and testimonials from previous customers.

• Verify their credentials

Verify the travel agency’s credentials by checking with the Ghana Tourism Authority . Ensure that the travel agency is registered and has a valid license.

• Check their affiliations

Check the travel agency’s affiliations with reputable travel organizations such as IATA and ASTA. These affiliations indicate that the travel agency meets certain standards of professionalism and quality.

• Ask for references

Ask the travel agency for references from previous customers. Contact these references to confirm their experience with the travel agency.

• Verify staff qualifications

Ensure that the travel agency’s staff is qualified and knowledgeable about travel arrangements. Ask about their training and experience in the travel industry.

Red Flags To Watch Out For When Dealing With Travel Agencies

Recognizing red flags when dealing with travel agencies can help you avoid falling victim to scams and fraud. Here are some red flags to watch out for when dealing with travel agencies:

Upfront payments or deposits

Be wary of travel agencies that ask for upfront payments or deposits before providing any service. Genuine travel agencies usually require a deposit or payment only after confirming your booking and providing you with a detailed itinerary.

Limited online presence

Be cautious of travel agencies that have a limited online presence or lack reviews and testimonials from previous customers. Genuine travel agencies invest in their online presence and ensure that their websites and social media accounts are professional and up-to-date.

Poor website design and low-quality images

Be cautious of travel agencies that have poor website design and low-quality images. Genuine travel agencies invest in their website design and use high-quality images to showcase their services.

Lack of credentials and affiliations

Be cautious of travel agencies that lack credentials and affiliations with reputable travel organizations. These affiliations indicate that the travel agency meets certain standards of professionalism and quality.

Lack of transparency

Be cautious of travel agencies that lack transparency in their services and pricing. Genuine travel agencies provide you with a detailed itinerary and clear pricing information.

What To Do If You Have Been Scammed By A Fake Travel Agency

If you have been scammed by a fake travel agency, there are several steps you can take to protect yourself and recover your losses:

• Contact your bank or credit card company

If you have made payments using your credit card or PayPal, contact your bank or credit card company to report the fraud and dispute the charges.

• Contact the Ghana Tourism Authority

Contact the Ghana Tourism Authority to report the fraud and seek their assistance in recovering your losses.

• Report the fraud to the police

Report the fraud to the police and provide them with all the necessary information, including the travel agency’s name, address, and contact information.

• Seek legal assistance

Consider seeking legal assistance to recover your losses. Contact a lawyer or consumer protection agency for advice.

• Spread awareness

Spread awareness about the fraudulent travel agency and warn others about the scam.

Legal Actions Against Fake Travel Agencies

Fake travel agencies are illegal and can face legal action for their fraudulent activities. The Ghana Tourism Authority has the power to revoke its license and impose fines or other penalties. Victims of fraud can also seek legal action against the travel agency for the recovery of their losses. It’s essential to report any fraudulent activities to the appropriate authorities to prevent further scams and protect the interests of consumers.

Genuine Travel Agencies In Ghana

Ghana has several genuine travel agencies that offer reliable and professional travel arrangements. These travel agencies are registered with the Ghana Tourism Authority and have affiliations with reputable travel organizations. They provide a wide range of services, including flight bookings, hotel reservations, tour packages, and visa assistance. Some of the most popular travel agencies in Ghana include Satguru Travel and Tours, Stellar Travel, and Landtours Ghana.

Conclusion And Summary Of Key Points

Fake travel agencies are a growing concern in Ghana, and it’s essential to be aware of the warning signs and know how to spot a fake travel agency before it’s too late. Always do your research, verify the legitimacy of the travel agency, and be cautious of exclusive deals and upfront payments. If you have been scammed by a fake travel agency, take immediate action to protect yourself and recover your losses. Spread awareness about the fraudulent travel agency and warn others about the scam. Ghana has several genuine travel agencies that offer reliable and professional travel arrangements. Remember to stay safe and enjoy your travels!

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Blog How To Guides and Tutorials How To Teach Your Kids About Deepfakes

How To Guides and Tutorials

How To Teach Your Kids About Deepfakes

Apr 19, 2024

Is it real? Is it fake?  

Deepfake technology has certainly made everything far more complicated online. How do you know for sure what’s real? Can you actually trust anything anymore? Recently , a Hong Kong company lost A$40 million in a deepfake scam after an employee transferred money following a video call with a scammer who looked like his boss! Even Oprah and Taylor have been affected by deepfake scammers using them to promote dodgy online schemes. So, how do we get our heads around it, and just as importantly, how do we help our kids understand it? Don’t stress – I got you. Here’s what you need to know.  

What Actually Is Deepfake Technology?  

Deepfake technology is essentially photoshopping on steroids. It’s when artificial intelligence is used to create videos, voice imitations, and images of people doing and saying things they never actually did. The ‘deep’ comes from the type of artificial intelligence that is used – deep learning. Deep learning trains computers to process data and make predictions in the same way the human brain does.  

When it first emerged around 2017, it was clunky and many of us could easily spot a deepfake however it is becoming increasingly sophisticated and convincing. And that’s the problem. It can be used to create great harm and disruption. Not only can it be used by scammers and dodgy operators to have celebrities promote their products, but it can also be used to undertake image abuse, create pornographic material, and manipulate the outcome of elections .  

How Are DeepFakes Made?  

When deepfakes first emerged they were clunky because they used a type of AI model called Generative Adversarial Network (or GAN). This is when specific parts of video footage or pictures are manipulated, quite commonly the mouth. You may remember when Australian mining magnate Andrew Forest was ‘deepfake’ into spruiking for a bogus ‘get rich quick’ scheme . This deepfake used GAN – as they manipulated just his mouth.  

But deepfakes are now even more convincing thanks to the use of a new type of generative AI called a diffusion model. This new technology means a deepfake can be created from scratch without having to even manipulate original content making the deepfake even more realistic.   

Experts and skilled scammers were the only ones who really had access to this technology until 2023 when it became widely available. Now, anyone who has a computer or phone and the right app (widely available) can make a deepfake.  

While it might take a novice scammer just a few minutes to create a deepfake, skilled hackers are able to produce very realistic deepfakes in just a few hours.  

Why Are Deepfakes Made?  

As I mentioned before, deepfakes are generated to either create harm or cause disruption. But a flurry of recent research is showing that creating deepfake pornographic videos is where most scammers are putting their energy. A recent study into deepfakes in 2023 found that deepfake pornography makes up a whopping 98% of all deepfake videos found online . And not surprisingly, 99% of the victims are women. The report also found that it now takes less than 25 minutes and costs nothing to create a 60-second deepfake pornographic video of anyone using just one clear face image! Wow!!  

Apart from pornography, they are often used for election tampering, identity theft, scam attempts and to spread fake news . In summary, nothing is off limits!   

How To Spot A Deepfake  

The ability to spot a deepfake is something we all need, given the potential harm they can cause. Here’s what to look out for:  

• If it’s a video, check the audio matches the video i.e. is the audio synced to the lip movements? Check for unnatural blinking, odd lighting, misplaced shadows, or facial expressions that don’t match the tone of the voice. These might be the ‘older’ style of deepfakes, created using the GAN or ‘face-swap’ model.  
• Deepfake videos and pictures created with the ‘face swap’ model may also look ‘off’ around the area where they have blended the face onto the original forehead. Check for colour and textual differences or perhaps an unusual hairline.    
• The newer diffusion model means deepfakes can be harder to spot however look for asymmetries like unmatching earrings or eyes that are different sizes. They also don’t do hands very well, so check for the right number of fingers and ‘weird’ looking hands.  
• A gut feeling! Even though the technology is becoming very sophisticated, it’s often possible to detect when it doesn’t seem quite right. There could be an awkwardness in body movement, a facial feature that isn’t quite right, an unusual background noise, or even weird looking teeth!!  

How To Protect Yourself  

There are two main ways you could be affected by deepfakes. First, as a victim e.g. being ‘cast’ in a deepfake pornographic video or photo. Secondly, by being influenced by a deepfake video that is designed to create harm e.g. scam, fake news, or even political disinformation.  

But the good news is that protecting yourself from deepfake technology is not dissimilar to protecting yourself from general online threats. Here are my top tips:  

Be Careful What You Share  

The best way to protect yourself from becoming a victim is to avoid sharing anything online at all. I appreciate that this perhaps isn’t totally realistic so instead, be mindful of what and where you share. Always have privacy settings set to the highest level and consider sharing your pics and videos with a select group instead of with all your online followers. Not only does this reduce the chances of your pictures making their way into the hands of deepfake scammers but it also increases the chance of finding the attacker if someone does in fact create a deepfake of you.  

Consider Watermarking Photos  

If you feel like you need to share pics and videos online, perhaps add a digital watermark to them. This will make it much harder for deepfake creators to use your images as it is a more complicated procedure that could possibly be traceable.  

Be Cautiously Suspicious Always  

Teach your kids to never assume that everything they see online is true or real. If you always operate with a sceptical mindset, then there is less of a chance that you will be caught up in a deepfake scam. If you find a video or photo that you aren’t sure about, do a reverse image search. Or check to see if it’s covered by trusted news websites, if it’s a news video. Remember, if what the person in the video is saying or doing is important, the mainstream news media will cover it. You can always fact check what the ‘person’ in the video is claiming as well.  

Use Multi-Factor Authentication  

Adding another layer of security to all your online accounts will make it that much harder for a deepfake creator to access your accounts and use your photos and videos. Multi-factor authentication or 2-factor authentication means you simply add an extra step to your login process. It could be a facial scan, a code sent to your smartphone, or even a code generated on an authenticator app like Google Authenticator. This is a complete no-brainer and probably adds no more than 30 seconds to the logging in process.  

Keep Your Software Updated  

Yes, this can make a huge difference. Software updates commonly include ‘patches’ or fixes for security vulnerabilities. So, if your software is out of date, it’s a little like having a broken window and then wondering why people can still get in! I recommend turning on automatic updates, so you don’t have to think about it.  

Passwords Are Key  

A weak password is also like having a broken window – it’s so much easier for deepfake scammers to access your accounts and your pics and videos. I know it seems like a lot of work but if every one of your online accounts has its own complex and individual password then you have a much greater chance of keeping the deepfake scammers away!  

So, be vigilant, always think critically, and remember you can report deepfake content to your law enforcement agency. In the US, that’s the FBI and in Australia, it is the eSafety Commissioner’s Office .

Stay safe all!

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How a millennial Lyft driver used the gig to travel to all 50 states, launch a food blog, and get started on a book

• Kreskin J. Torres, a Lyft driver, has traveled across all 50 states, documenting his dining experiences.
• Torres is working on a book, an app called Rideshare Foodies, and is organizing a national potluck.
• He said gig driving is just temporary and has helped him achieve his larger goals.

Kreskin J. Torres, 35, has eaten his way through all 50 states — including Alaska and Hawaii. His ticket to doing so? Driving for Uber and Lyft .

The Army veteran and Baltimore native has documented his dining on his blog Rideshare Foodie . After seven years, he's learned the most profitable times of day to drive, the best locations to find riders in each city and the optimal strategies for maximizing tips .

"You just got to work smarter, not harder," Torres said. "From my experience, I've been in every state, so I know how every city works now."

At the same time, he's been able to pursue his foodie passions. Torres is now working on a book called "Taste of the States," his recommendations app called Rideshare Foodies, and planning a series of events to honor dishes from various states and their history.

While driving for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft can be a flexible way to earn money for people like Torres who have more than one hustle, it can also be a recipe for burnout. Among the dozens of drivers Business Insider has spoken with over the past few months, many are already dreaming of what's next — starting a business or finding new modes of employment .

And that's Torres' main career advice for those considering it. After all, he's not planning to do the job forever, as he hopes to transition away, though it helped him jump-start new paths for his future.

"Do not make this the end all be all," Torres said, noting how Uber and Lyft have threatened to pull out of Minneapolis. "When it started, it was advertised as a gig, a side hustle."

Traveling the country as a gig driver

As a veteran, he said this job has been relatively stress-free and helpful for not feeling lonely, a similar sentiment he's heard from veterans with PTSD.

"I enjoy meeting and connecting with different people and getting to see different places," Torres said.

He decided to spend his next few years on the road using driving to fund his adventures and to meet locals who could point him to the best restaurants and experiences.

"The great thing is you get to learn about different cities and how everything operates," Torres said.

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He moved to San Antonio , though he works mainly around the more-profitable Austin area, and has explored the South and Southeast.

While he doesn't make much money from his blog, he said driving has allowed him to try everything from Navajo tacos in Arizona to biscuits in chocolate gravy in Arkansas to huckleberry swirls in Montana. Driving has led him to some of his favorite restaurants like I693 Red Zone Grill in Jackson, Mississippi; Strawberry's BBQ in Holcomb, Missouri; and Rice & Roll by Xing Xing in Wichita.

Learning the most profitable places and times to drive

Torres noticed he would get more profitable rides driving around suburbs, airports, and sports stadiums, locations coveted by drivers as they get more tips and sometimes elevated fares.

He learned New Year's will always be profitable , though rides slow down around February before picking up in mid-March. It's led him to be more methodical about the types of rides to take, as well as planning when to save more of his earnings and when to splurge a little on food and travel.

"After seven years, I'm a lot more experienced. It depends on the time of the season, so I usually can do a lot more business in college towns," Torres said. "I would visit a city, see what they're known for, a little history behind it."

Torres was making enough to comfortably travel the country, though he's always been careful since he said passengers are sometimes confused by his out-of-state license plate. He also faced a permanent deactivation from Uber last year over a dispute over the color of his car.

He doesn't have a wife or kids, nor does he have an apartment, as he mainly lives out of his car to save money. He acknowledges that growing competition on the road and lower earnings could put a greater dent in savings for people with families or permanent residences.

Torres has transitioned to driving full-time for Lyft , and he typically is online for 12 hours a day but only actively drives five to six hours in between waiting around airports.

He said he's increasingly put himself in his passengers' shoes to determine the best places and times to drive — he likely won't put in the effort to drive during rain, and he's more likely to do later trips around concert venues or bars.

To continue supporting his travels, he said he sometimes does airport rides at 3 or 4 a.m., as well as rides between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. during the morning rush. He also said being online around noon is fruitful for corporate workers, while 3 p.m. is right when schools let out. He usually tries not to drive around evening rush hours but sometimes resumes later at night.

He also devotes more time to driving between Wednesday and Sunday, when rides are more frequent, whether for "whiskey Wednesdays" or Friday afternoon happy hours. This is also when he can best network with passengers and hear their stories, as he said he occasionally gets to drive famous people.

Torres said drivers should consider this a short-term opportunity while working toward long-term goals. As he eases off the app, he has his eyes set on more international travel in the coming months. He's also investing more time in his food app, a local recommendation tool that functions like a Facebook group in which people ask questions about, for example, the best bartender in the area or where to go for particular dishes. It has launched on Android and set to be released on Apple by the summer.

"The most positivity that you can get out of it, do whatever you can and get the most out of it," Torres said. "The next few months will probably be my last time doing this because I'm focusing on other things, so I always had a plan for the things I was going to do."

Are you a ride-hailing driver who's struggling to pay bills or has had recent success? Have you recently pivoted to a new career from driving? Reach out to  [email protected] .

Watch: How truck driving became one of the worst jobs in the US

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By Matt Burgess

The Biggest Deepfake Porn Website Is Now Blocked in the UK

Two of the biggest deepfake pornography websites have now started blocking people trying to access them from the United Kingdom. The move comes days after the UK government announced plans for a new law that will make creating nonconsensual deepfakes a criminal offense.

Nonconsensual deepfake pornography websites and apps that “strip” clothes off of photos have been growing at an alarming rate —causing untold harm to the thousands of women they are used to target.

Clare McGlynn, a professor of law at Durham University, says the move is a “hugely significant moment” in the fight against deepfake abuse. “This ends the easy access and the normalization of deepfake sexual abuse material,” McGlynn tells WIRED.

Since deepfake technology first emerged in December 2017, it has consistently been used to create nonconsensual sexual images of women—swapping their faces into pornographic videos or allowing new “nude” images to be generated. As the technology has improved and become easier to access, hundreds of websites and apps have been created. Most recently, schoolchildren have been caught creating nudes of classmates .

The blocks on the deepfake websites in the UK were first spotted today, with two of the most prominent services displaying notices on their landing pages that they are no longer accessible to people visiting from the country. WIRED is not naming the two websites due to their enabling of abuse.

One of the websites with the restriction in place is the biggest deepfake pornography website existing today. Its homepage, when visiting from the UK, displays a message saying access is denied. “Due to laws or (upcoming) legislation in your country or state, we are unfortunately obligated to deny you access to this website,” the message says. It also shows the visitor’s IP address and country.

The other website, which also has an app, displays a similar message. “Access to the service in your country is blocked,” it says, before hinting there may be ways to get around the geographic restriction. The websites do not appear to have any restrictions in place when visiting from the United States, although may also be restricted in other countries.

It is not immediately clear why the sites have introduced the location blocks or whether they have done so in response to any legal orders or notices. Nor is it clear whether the blocks are temporary. Messages sent to the websites through email addresses and contact forms went unanswered. The creators of the websites have not posted any public messages on the websites or their social media channels about the blocks.

Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has the power to persue action against harmful websites under the UK’s controversial sweeping online safety laws that came into force last year. However, these powers are not yet fully operational, and Ofcom is still consulting on them.

It’s likely the restrictions may significantly limit the amount of people in the UK seeking out or trying to create deepfake sexual abuse content. Data from Similarweb, a digital intelligence company, shows the biggest of the two websites had 12 million global visitors last month, while the other website had 4 million visitors. In the UK, they had around 500,000 and 50,000 visitors, respectively.

Matt Burgess

Andrew Couts

Emily Mullin

C. Brandon Ogbunu

This week, politicians in the UK announced plans for a law that criminalizes the creation of nonconsensual deepfakes. Under the law, which is yet to be passed, people could face an unlimited fine if they create deepfakes to “cause alarm, humiliation, or distress to the victim.” This builds on previous provisions that make it illegal for people in the UK to share sexualized deepfakes .

“While it’s unclear if these platforms have been ordered to block UK access or have done so proactively due to the recent criminalization, it shows legislation can make a meaningful difference in removing the legal ambiguity that many deepfake pornography platforms use as cover for the clear ethical harms they cause,” Henry Ajder, an AI and deepfake expert, tells WIRED. Ajder adds that search engines and hosting providers around the world should be doing more to limit the spread and creation of harmful deepfakes.

While the two websites can still be accessed in the UK using a VPN, the restrictions are a sign that constant pressure—from lawmakers, tech companies, and campaigners—can make deepfake porn harder to access and create. “Of course, people will be able to use VPN to access these websites and apps, but that introduces friction,” Durham University’s McGlynn says. “It introduces a message that there’s something wrong and harmful about this material such that you have to use a VPN to access it.”

“Hopefully,” McGlynn adds, “this can show other governments around the world that if we take steps, we could actually reduce the prevalence [of] and easy access to deepfake sexual abuse material.”

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