A slideshow listing 20 scams to be aware of when travelling.
I loved the one of the theif hiding in the suitcase.
2 Likes
The Australian government’s Smarttraveller…
https://smartraveller.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
should be the go to guide for Australian when travelling overseas. The website contains current information and risks on a country by country basis. It also lists safety/security risks and scams prevalent in many countries.
Scammers do target tourists as often they are in unfamiliar surroundings and also often off guard (in the holiday spirit).
There are many things one can to to minimise the risk of being taken for a ride by a scammer. The Smarttraveller provides such information.
One can also register their travels with Smarttraveller and one will receive communications direct from Smarttraveller should rsafety/security risks change. Such service is avaiable to Australians travelling overseas and is a worth investment in time before departing.
Some guidebooks (paper or electronic) can also provide some information about scams at particular locations…e.g. at a specific tourist attraction or transport hub. This information can be useful in addition to that available through Smarttraveller, but can be out of date.
When travelling anywhere, one should excerise a level of caution and be suspicious of anyone who approaches for a particular unexpected reason.
3 Likes
I agree that a visit to the Smart Traveller website should be a “must do” but how many travellers are unaware of its existence, or simply do not get around to doing so?
At least these 20 warnings of grubby scams may make travellers aware of the specific ripoffs so that they may recall them before they have been conned.
2 Likes
The Fed Government certainly has widely disseminated the info re Smart Traveller and most people who get a passport get a brochure re Smart Traveller. The article of course is a useful adjunct to the Smart Traveller website and using any sensible advice is a good place to start when planning a trip.
So both to @Fred123 & @phb thank you for the reminders and hopefully more travellers will avail themselves of any good advice and put it into practice on their trips. Of course there will always be some who will not look and may suffer because of their ignorance in regards to safe habits.
3 Likes
