
Crooked opportunists take many shapes and forms and travel scams are highly common.
Most travelers are completely unaware that they are often being watched, which is why it’s important to be aware of different common travel scams and know how to avoid them. You can often avoid being victimized by being aware of your surroundings and others nearby.
Thieves are willing to take risks, but they also calculate those risks. Simply put; if you are confident, aware and – most importantly, sober – then they’ll likely move on to an easier target.
A traveler’s chance of getting robbed greatly increases in highly dense tourist locations, so be careful!
While your time abroad will probably be spent incident free, it is vital to be prepared, and thanks to Dave & Deb at ThePlanetD.com for sharing these tips, you’ll know exactly what to watch out for.
Fake Officials

Bump and Grab

The best way to avoid this travel scam is to be one step ahead of the thief. Spread out all your valuables; never keep all your important documents, money, credit cards and/or your passport in one place. Second, never put a wallet or anything of value in either your front or back jean pocket, and always opt for cross-body purse with zippers (no flimsy one button purses). Keep money and credit cards in a money belt worn inside your clothing when possible.
Bus Scams

Counterfeit money

The ‘you have gunk on you’ Scam

The point of this travel scam is to get you to take off your backpack, purse and/or camera. If someone tells you that you have something on your back, do not take off your backpack to check! Instead keep walking, ignore any Good Samaritans and only remove your bags when you are in a safe and secure location.
ATM Scams

Cities with the highest rates of street theft:
- Madrid, Spain
- Barcelona, Spain
- Rome, Italy
- Paris, France
- Athens, Greece
- London, England
Source: WikiHow
Another method of this ATM travel scam is to place a sticky plastic slip inside of the slot, which will cause your card to get stuck in the machine. Once again, a Good Samaritan will be on hand to “help” you and might suggest that you call the phone number, often a fake number, on the machine for help.
In the end, never give out your personal PIN to anyone in person or on the phone. If you end up loosing your card, call your bank immediately and cancel the card.
To avoid these problems always use ATMs located inside of reputable banks, and if the ATM sucks in your card, refusing to give it back, then go into the bank immediately to get help.
If It’s Too Good to Be True, It is

In the end, the best thing that you can do to avoid these travel scams is to be aware and prepared.
Don’t Miss:
[Alert] Credit Card Scams travelers fall for….
Consumers Get Bilked $5.7B Amid Online Booking Scams