Travel tips

Ah, not again! You’ve been duped by another phoney baloney scammer. It’s something that’s sure to put a doozy on your good time. That being said, many of the biggest scams today can be easily avoided with a little thing called common sense. Let’s check it out.

Free trip to Florida: Your phone rings and the voice on the other end tells you to select 9 and you win a free trip to Florida. What!? You quickly pound in the 9 and listen to a schpeal about a $500 holding fee. So excited about your win, you quickly agree to give up your credit card number for “verification purposes” not even realizing that the entire holding fee was instantly deducted from your account until after you hang up. Bummer. After trying to call back and getting in the vicious circle of nowhere, you give up while wistfully repeating the phrase, “Nothing in life is free.”

Common sense: If you are winning a contest you never entered, you might want to think twice about the prize. If it’s the free Florida trip, log onto the fraud help hotline www.800helpfla.com immediately to report the crime.

Card Milling: An email arrives shouting “Become a travel agent and save up to 75% on flights in 15 minutes!” Sign me up! You shell out a few hundred bucks for you travel savvy ID card that’s going to get you discounts galore as you see the world. We can see how this one gets people because you get tangible proof of purchase by way of a little ID card. You slap that baby down on the counter at your first destination and try to explain that you’re a “travel agent” with a “discount card.” The reception shoves that card right back with a smirk that says, “Sucka!”

Common sense: Get a real job the real way. Visit www.abta.com, www.monster.com or other esteemed job websites. on innocent traveler’s who have stars in their eyes to visit their favorite country. They’ll either under or over insurance and will just explain “highlights” of the policy while leaving out all of the additional fees.

Common sense: Come 2009 (hopefully), the government will be monitoring

Over and out: Probably the oldest one in the book, this scam is one we’ve all heard time and time again – “Company takes millions from customers, boards up, and swiftly leaves town.” And of course the owner’s are long gone spending everyone else’s hard earned cash.

Common sense: Make sure that your travel insurance covers airline and operator closure. If it’s a valid company, it will.

Speaking of insurance: Many insurance companies, whether legitimate or not, find it all too easy to pray travel agents via the Financial Services Authority. Until then, read the fine print, ask questions, and make sure they are all answered – in full, no bs – before you get off the phone.

Receptionist or no?: Man, now they try to get you while you’re getting your beauty sleep? Yes, sir. These scams almost always happen in the wee hours of the morning when a receptionist calls claiming a flub happened while processing your bill. Of course they need you at the front desk or you can just read your card number over the phone for a more painless fix. Riiiight.

Common sense: Don’t give out your credit card number to anybody ever! Oh and also, make sure you get a receipt when you check in when the real receptionist swipes your card the first time.

Covert conversion: Many times when you hand your credit card over to that lovely person across the counter in a foreign land, they will automatically change the currency to their own, while also adding additional fees like an exchange commission – all without asking your consent or telling you what they’ve done.

Common sense: If you find yourself in this situation, you will also want to make sure you tell the vendor you are using your home currency. It’s also wise to change currency over once before your trip so you don’t get duped doing it numerous times over seas. Try to use your card for large purchases only from a trusted vendor.

Stop! This is the police! Well sort of… : You meet your new “best friend” at the local bar. You talk, share a couple laughs, and more than a couple of beers. He genuinely enjoys your company so he gives you a literal “token” of his appreciation – a baggie of marijuana. Like any normal person you take it to your hotel room to examine the goods. That is until you are stopped short by two brawny policemen that ask you to empty your pockets… or give them $200 a pop and they’ll turn a blind eye.

Common sense: Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to do drugs? If this happens, it can be a tricky situation. You may want to just stash the hash and pay up; get rid of it ASAP and make a run for it; or do the right thing and get the police involved. The police will want some evidence of this mystery friend (since you are the one illegally holding the dope) so make sure to ask people around you to stay and be a witness if possible.

Another “best bud” situation: You meet a nice friend while on holiday. He buys you a few rounds then nonchalantly slips you a drug like Rohyphnol. You stumble around; he takes your money and runs. It’s called burundanga and it happens a lot in South America and Thailand.

Common sense: Jeez how many times have you heard these ones — don’t take drinks from a stranger; don’t let anyone handle your drinks except you; don’t leave your drink unattended. The list goes on and on. It’s also a good idea to travel in pairs so at least one of you is coherent lest something like this happen.

Taxi, taxi!: An Austrian couple on the trip of a lifetime (round the world that is) got sick of waiting for a taxi at the bus terminal. They hopped into an unlicensed taxi in Bolivia, were kidnapped, held captive for five days, robbed, and then sadly killed. True story. Don’t let it happen to you.

Common sense: Only use official, licensed taxis. Know before you go and figure out which cab companies are valid in the area. Or just wait for a bus or train. Also, do not let the cab driver pick up or take other passengers while you are in the vehicle. They could easily turn out to be gang members and you’ll be put in a similar situation as the Austrian couple.

Metal Detector Dance: You calmly put your bags on the conveyor belt and while doing so, a man flies past you, apologizing about the rush he’s in. He does the same as you’ve just done – emptying pockets, putting bags on the belt, and running off… with your bag too. Apparently metal detectors don’t detect thieves.

Common sense: Never let your bag out of your sight for a second. If you yell out “He’s got my bag!” one of the nearby guards will surely go all knight in shining armor for you… or be your superhero if you’re a dude.

Bus fraud: This one verges on hilarious and if you agree to it, there might be something slightly wrong with you in the first place! The story goes, you are approached at a bar by someone who swears up and down you’ll get a thousand bucks if you get the bus in the morning. The bus of course will be rear-ending someone along the way (the government employed driver is agreeing to this obviously too) and all the passengers will get a generous cut of the insurance check. All you have to do is give your special friend $300 for a fixer fee and you’re golden. The next morning you hop on the bus, arrive at your destination, and damn… no accident… and no special friend.

Common sense: Wow, if you fall for this, you have no common sense so always travel with a buddy.