Beware these 5 travel scams, from friendly ‘flirts’ to digital gold diggers

Travel could be one of life’s great, enriching joys – often preceded by eager anticipation and met with euphoric excitement once a person plants his or her feet in a new land.

Dizzying excitement, however, could be an opportunity for scammers to make a score.

“We need to learn to not mix emotions with planning our travel,” Amy Nofziger of AARP Fraud Watch Network told Fox News Digital in a telephone interview.

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“Don’t mix FOMO (fear of missing out) with any financial decisions,” she said.

Nofziger is one of the nation’s leading fraud experts. She spoke before the U.S. Senate last week in Washington, D.C., about the fraud crisis plaguing America.

It’s reported that crowds, frequent purchases, language barriers and heavy reliance on websites and apps help make travelers especially vulnerable to hustlers.

“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 55,000 reports of fraud linked to travel, vacations and time-share plans in 2023,” the AARP, headquartered in Washington, D.C., reported in May. 

“Thirty percent of Americans have been scammed or know someone who’s fallen victim while booking or taking trips, and 34% lost $1,000 or more,” according to a 2023 survey by online protection company McAfee.

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Here are five signs that scammers could be trying to steal the excitement from your dream trip — and what to do about it. 

1. Overly friendly locals

Travelers could sometimes bank on friendly, informative locals to elevate a vacation experience.

European travel expert Rick Steves warned, however, of an array of people who may seem too friendly for a first encounter.

These scammers wear many types of camouflage. 

“Watch out for chance encounters on the street.” 

There’s the local who may offer unsolicited advice in order to divert your attention to pick your pocket. There’s the good Samaritan who claims he or she found something you lost while also working an uncharitable angle. And there’s “the attractive flirt,” said Steves, who might be feeding your ego to satisfy a scam.

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“Get to know Europeans,” Steves says on his blog, ricksteves.com. “But watch out for chance encounters on the street.” 

2. Deals that sound too good to be true

Deals that “sound too good to be true” are especially true in travel, experts warn, given the opportunity for scams — everything from digital deals long before you leave for a trip to face-to-face fraud in foreign lands.

“Everyone wanting to take a trip is looking for the best prices they can take their family on a dream vacation,” said Nofziger. 

She continued, “So when the opportunity comes across that is lower than what you’ve seen advertised, you want to jump on it because you think you’ve found a great deal. Scammers know this,” she added — “and that’s why they entice you with those too-good-to-be-true quotes.”

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Rentals touted at well below market rates compared with similar offers in the same city, drivers who promise to get you somewhere cheaper than a cab ride or online offers of an exclusive dream deal if you “only act now” are all likely scams, experts say. 

3. Exchange-rate hustlers

The value of a dollar varies widely in different currencies and can be hard to calculate in quick cash exchanges: cab rides, take-out food purchases or a round of drinks at the bar.

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A cup of coffee that costs 100 lira in Turkey is about $3 in U.S. currency.

That same cup of coffee might sound like a deal the next day in Greece when the cashier asks for “20” and you happily hand over a crisp bill. But €20 euro is about $17.

Exchange-rate hustlers in popular destinations need only fool a few harried travelers a day to score a nice second income. 

A good rule of thumb is to remember the exchange rate not at $1 but at $10 and $100 – figures you’re more likely to spend in a single exchange. 

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In Turkey, 340 lira is about $10 at current rates; in Greece, €9 Euro is also about $10. 

It’s easier to figure out if you’re getting scammed when you can do the math counting by $10 in your head rather than by $1. 

4. Credit card scams

Credit card exchanges should be smooth and flawless almost anywhere in the world – maybe even less hassle than in the U.S.

Many Europeans, for example, were using tap-and-go credit cards before most Americans.

Any little hiccup is a red flag, experts say. 

Your credit card needs to be swiped several times because the “machine is having trouble,” or the clerk needs to enter the credit card number manually — or asks for additional personal information.

These are all likely scam attempts. 

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Steves warned that the person taking your card should be focused only on you. 

“Be aware of shop cashiers who appear to be speaking on the phone when you hand over your credit card,” he has written online. “They may surreptitiously take a picture of your card. Consider paying cash for smaller purchases.”

5. The hard sell

If you’re wary of the hard sell in a familiar situation at home, you should show the same skepticism overseas, no matter how much you want that souvenir, fashionable apparel or parasailing adventure over the Mediterranean. 

“Anywhere there’s a dollar, there’s a criminal or someone else trying to get that dollar from you,” said Nofziger. 

“We need to practice our refusal scripts. We need to learn how to say no and be empowered to say, ‘No.’”

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The excitement of travel could arguably trump the normal thought process, experts indicate. An opportunity that would mean nothing at home suddenly sounds exotic in a new country or even while planning to get there.

The hard sell can be made online as well as in person.

“Bogus travel deals can arrive through emails, text messages, social media, postcards, robocalls and online pop-up ads,” the AARP reported online.  

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“Even if they look real — some scammers copy the logos of legitimate businesses. Treat these offers with extreme caution.”