5 common tourist scams in 2024
Holiday booking scams are rife these days, but make sure you don’t let your guard down once you reach foreign soil.
We asked travellers to share their experiences to help you stay vigilant to the latest tricks. Unscrupulous taxi drivers have long been overcharging unwitting tourists, but did you know that even booking through an app can leave you vulnerable?
And pickpockets are constantly coming up with new tactics to distract you from your belongings. Forewarned is forearmed, so read on to avoid falling victim and being left out of pocket on your next getaway.
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1. Taxi scams abroad and apps
Rogue taxi drivers ripping off tourists by taking unnecessarily long routes or claiming the meter is broken to charge overinflated fares is a perpetual problem in some destinations, and pre-booking via an app is a good way to avoid this. However, it’s not foolproof.
Which? member Corinne used an app to book her taxi in Italy. Both trips were cancelled by email, with a promise that the deposit (half the fare) would be returned within nine days. It wasn’t, and the company ignored all her attempts to get in touch. Corinne was ultimately reimbursed by her credit card provider when she got home.
Ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft will be more secure than using a local app, you may be unfamiliar with - as well as offering transparent pricing. In some cities, taxi firms at airports are regulated, but if you are unsure don’t use a taxi at the airport, especially away from official stands. If you have no other option, use a navigation app to check distances and do a bit of research into rough fare and then agree on a price beforehand.
See Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act if you’ve paid for a service you didn’t receive on your credit card. If you lost more than £100, you may be able to get your money back, like Corrine above.
2. Fake currency exchange
Our own travel editor Rory Boland nearly fell for a scam at Warsaw airport that has become more difficult to spot now many of us use cash infrequently.
While queuing to check-in to a flight to London, he was approached by a man who wanted to change 20 £1 coins for a £20 note. The local stranger spoke excellent English and had a plausible story about having recently returned from the UK and not being able to exchange coins at a Bureaux de Change in Poland ; it was only when Rory handled the coins, and felt the weight of them, that he realised they were fake. It would be easy to miss.
Never change money away from official banks or money exchange kiosks - and pause to count what you’ve been given to avoid being shortchanged.
3. The closed hotel scam
Which? Travel writer Jo Rhodes was understandably sceptical when a taxi driver in Marrakech claimed the hotel she’d booked was closed. Travellers may also be told that their chosen hotel is overbooked, dirty or located in an unsafe area - with the ‘helpful’ driver offering to take them to an alternative. There the driver will receive a commission from the hotel manager for bringing new business their way.
Ignore the high-pressure tactics and call the hotel directly to confirm the booking. Stay firm and refuse to change your plans unless you’ve verified the situation for yourself. If necessary and safe to do so, get out of the car and find alternative means of reaching your accommodation.
4. The menu and your mobile phone
Theft is another common danger when travelling, with perpetrators constantly coming up with new ways to distract you from your belongings. Margaret was nearly caught out at a cafe in Madrid when a young girl placed a menu from another restaurant on her table. Margaret told us: ‘When we said we weren't interested, she picked up the menu and my phone! I wasn't actually robbed, but I would have been had it not been for my husband seeing what was going on. Lesson learned.’
Make sure to keep valuables out sight and avoid wearing expensive watches or jewellery. Always be wary of strangers who try to distract you from your belongings or draw you away from public spaces. Avoid carrying too much cash by getting a pre-paid or no fees debit card to use abroad. You should also never carry more currency than is covered by your travel insurance policy.
See the best travel insurance companies and policies recommended by our experts
5. Before you go: copycat visa application
We’ve reported on scammers targeting people applying for ESTA visa waivers to the USA and visas to other countries several times. These can be outright scams, where you pay for the service via a website but never receive the ESTA, or websites that do ‘help’ obtain the visa but at a vastly inflated price.
Which? member Kate revealed how her elderly parents were stung when applying for tourist visas for Canada. She explained: ‘They clicked on the top link on Google that looked like the government one and it cost £70 each.’ In reality, it’s less than £4 to arrange an eTA (electronic travel authorisation) through the official channels. Kate’s parents quickly realised their mistake and cancelled their credit card to avoid falling victim to any other fraudulent activity.
There is likely to be a rise in websites targeting UK residents who need to apply for the ETIAS visa waiver to visit the EU from next year.
Check the URL carefully to make sure you are using the official website - you can access most via the gov.uk website. It’s also helpful to Google processing fees so you never pay over the odds. See our advice on how to spot a copycat website and what to do if you get caught out.
