When traveling away from home it can be easier to be scammed in a number of ways since you may not be familiar with the local culture and are often not as alert as you would be if you weren’t traveling. There are a variety of scams around the world and some are specific to certain parts of the world or areas but you can use this general advice to learn how to avoid these scams and what to do after the fact in case you are caught. This advice focuses on mostly the financial scams where you get ripped off but nothing physically endangering. You can however avoid many more types of problems when you’re away from home by following these safety tips for travelers abroad.
First off you should be aware of the local tricks and common scams used by thieves in particular place. You can usually get this information online, with your hotel or hostel owner, or by consulting the tourism department or local travel agent. They’ll usually be able to tell you specifically what to look out for and once you know that, can be extra vigilant so you aren’t taken advantage of. When making smaller purchases or taking a taxi, be sure to have cash and correct change on you as most of the time you’ll spend more since the other person “doesn’t have change.” You can use some of the best iPhone apps for travelers to calculate how much you should tip and find out about scams using the Travel Channel Go app to get an idea of what to watch out for.
For bigger purchases you should use your credit card since most offer protections against fraudulent charges. It’s an added bit of protection since you can’t always know who is behind the counter. In many countries outside of the US, full credit card numbers are printed on receipts and kept in the memory of most scanners. So even after you leave a shop your credit card number may remain and be used for all kinds of charges. Check your accounts when you can online and make sure there aren’t any charges, even small ones for a cent or two. That’s usually how criminals will test a card to see the bank’s reaction. After a week or two they will then actively use the card if no suspicion is aroused.
Another option is to file a report with the better business bureau or local equivalent. – Do a Google search and find the right consumer advocacy group who can alert others or work on your behalf. It’s important not to confront the con artist in most cases, really it is your judgment call but don’t get yourself into real trouble all over a few cents or dollars. Go to the authorities if they are reliable and report what you can and move on.
Do your best to blend in and learn from your mistakes if you do happen to get taken for a ride. If you end up buying less than quality merchandise try to put it to good use or donate it when you return home. You can also keep your laptop and other electronic possessions safe by using a few cheap but very effective un-sexy travel gadgets.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
