10 Travel Scams You Might Not Know About

Remember the days when a fanny pack and a “game face” could protect you from getting your money stolen? We don’t either! Vacationers have always been targets for smart, enterprising crooks, and the farther you get from home, the easier it is to fall for popular vacation scams like the dropped baby, the fake fight and the I-need-five-euros-to-replace-my-lost-train-ticket. But these days, you are at risk for more than just some lost bills. Watch out for these scams from around the world that can put your personal safety—and even your very identity—at risk.

Orlando

Here’s a scam so bad even Mickey Mouse took a stand. Guests in hotels around Disney World have been finding pizza delivery menus conveniently slipped under their doors, but place an order—and make the mistake of giving your credit card number—and you’ll really pay. The phone number isn’t connected to a pizza parlor but to identity thieves. Disney World supported a law designed to crack down on the people handing out the fliers, but Orlando police say the problem persists.

Solution: If you’re craving a slice, get a recommendation from the hotel.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, open-ended bus tickets are the best way to travel at your own pace between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and the Sinh Tourist line is widely considered the best. So widely considered, in fact, its many impostors call themselves Sinh Tourist, too. Because of Vietnam’s lax intellectual property laws, it’s difficult to know which Sinh is the real deal. Take the wrong carrier and you’ll get iffy service, or worse, an unexpected overnight stop at an overpriced hotel in cahoots with the bus line. “In summary,” said Stuart McDonald of travelfish.org, a travel advice site that covers Southeast Asia, “it is a snake pit!”

Solution: Always use the bus company’s official website.

New York City

New Yorkers are famously pushy, but Times Square’s so-called CD Bullies take the stereotype to a whole new low. A guy on the corner barks, “Check out my music!” and hands you what seems to be a free copy of his CD. He’s so nice, he’ll even offer to autograph it. But once the disc is in your hands, the aspiring rapper—suddenly surrounded by friends—refuses to take it back. You need to pay $10 or so to stop them from menacing you.

Solution: If the rapper won’t take the CD, gently place it on the ground and walk away.

Las Vegas


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