Whether you are a first-time traveler or not, we all have one fear and that is to become victims of travel scammers. Of course, it’s stressful and traumatizing. But there are ways to avoid that and we’re here to share them with you.
- Research
Researching before setting off to other places helps a lot. Aside from the fact that it helps you get to know the place, as well as the things you can and need to do to avoid a hassle-free trip, this also helps open your eyes to what is really going on in your destination. In this way, alarm bells will start ringing as soon as the scammer starts to lay the groundwork.
- Know the details yourself
Speaking of research, it is also important to know every detail yourself. From your hotel’s location, to even the cost of the things you will buy. With this, you can easily block those who will try to scam you.
- Add up the total and count up your change yourself
Another important tip to avoid getting scammed when traveling is to pay attention, especially when you are making purchases. It is also important to add up the total of what you are paying on yourself. In this way, you can also get to save your travel budget.
- Don’t be too greedy
Scammers prey on greed. They usually offer cheap deals or something free, hoping that you will take the bait. Then, they will take advantage to fool you. For instance, in Bangkok, they have a gem scam where you will be told that you can buy real gems with the finest quality at a discounted price and then sell them again in your home country with double the price or whatnot. Kind of tempting, isn’t it? But it turns out, the gems are fake and not worth the price you paid. Greed can make you get carried away so never forget to think critically.
- Don’t let you guilt get on the way
Scammers often use emotional manipulation too. They often make their prospects feel guilty to try to coerce them into doing what they want the victims to do. Scammers will try to guilt trip you to make you feel as if you’ve done something wrong when you don’t do what they want. But don’t fall for it; just walk away.
Traveling the world sure is exciting as many adventure awaits. But the truth is there are risks as well so always stay alert and bear these tips in mind.
