Scams

6 online travel scams you need to stay away from

Traveling is an amazing experience that rejuvenates and teaches invaluable lessons that we can carry for the rest of our lives.

It, however, is not without its fair share of risks and scams that might threaten to overshadow your trip.

It is for this reason that we have a keen focus on highlighting the scams you might fall prey to before you do.

1. The fake accommodation scam

Scammers take advantage of peak seasons when accommodation is expensive and scarce by offering travelers accommodation at cheaper than average prices. These listings look and feel authentic, tricking innocent travelers into sending money for booking accommodations that do not exist or are not owned by the scammer.

2. The cheap ticket scam

With offers of tickets for prices lower than normal, scammers have been known to lure innocent travelers to fraudulent websites and steal their credit card information.

Such scams happen regularly on social media as they tend to be shared by those closest to us who are tricked into it.

3. The limited time only tour scam

Similar to the above two scams, fake tours usually end up scamming travelers of their money through requests for a downpayment on the tour in order to confirm a slot.

4. Phishing scams

Phishing scams are scams that occur when fraudsters email individuals with requests for confirming a flight, a check in at a hotel or anything that requires the receiver to insert their personal details to a website that will harvest it.

These details are then used for various malicious activities.

5. Baiting scams

Social media posts that explicitly ask you for likes, comments and shares are banned from Facebook.

If you do come across such posts, refrain from interacting with them. They are scammers after your hard earned money or looking for impressions and clicks through which they will earn revenue.

6. Hidden fees

Be careful when booking accommodation on websites with prices that are too good to be true.

Such websites have been known to produce cheap rates to lure travelers and then dupe them by adding hidden charges to the total.