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Subscribe to RSSNina Willdorf, the editor-in-chief of Budget Travel magazine tells TODAY's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb the top five scams to look out for when on vacation.
You may have heard of, or fallen victim to, the old "catch my baby while we pick your pockets" scheme. The new class of tourist rip-off makes that look like chump change.
Rome
While some pickpockets make their living on not being noticed, others do it by getting aggressive and in your face-then ripping you off while you're distracted. Rome is home to the infamous "fake baby" ruse, which sees a woman trip and throw a bundled doll into your arms, or just drop it on the ground, in an attempt to draw your attention away from pickpockets, often children, nicking your wallet or making away with your camera bag.
Solution: Beware of women who "throw" their babies or any other unusual distractions.
Related: 'Gladiators' arrested outside Rome's Colosseum
Italian police arrested at least 20 people for allegedly targeting tourists as part of a large racket. Alex Witt reports.
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," says Stuart McDonald of travelfish.org, which travel advice site covering Southeast Asia, "it is a snake pit!"
Solution: Always use the bus company's official website: thesinhtourist.vn.
New York City
New Yorkers are famously pushy, but Times Square's so-called CD Bullies take the stereotype to new lows. 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
You go to Vegas to gamble, but you don't want to risk your luggage, too. Sin City's cabdrivers are notoriously sketchy; one common scam involves a cabbie who insists on unloading your bags at your hotel or the airport. He says he's in a rush, slams the trunk, and speeds away. Only later do you notice that one of your bags is missing. "When you're coming to Vegas, you gotta be on your A-game with your stuff," says Sergeant Jerry MacDonald of the Las Vegas PD. "Trust me when I tell you, they'll snatch your luggage up faster than you can blink an eye."
Solution: Note the driver's name, cab number, and company when you get in; that way, if anything should happen, you have recourse.
United States
Some criminals who want your money are brazen enough to come right out and ask. An increasingly common scam involves hotel guests who receive a phone call in the middle of the night from someone claiming to work at the front desk. There's been a problem with your credit card, they say. Could you read the number back one more time? The scammers are banking you'll do something while half-asleep that you never should-give out credit card info by phone.
Solution: Hang up and call the front desk directly to make sure the request is legit.
Egypt
The pyramids around Cairo are one of the world's best photo ops, and some tourists up the ante by posing on the back of a camel. Often, there are trainers standing by to coax the eight-foot-tall, 1,500-pound animals to lie down passively in preparation for riding. Once you've paid your $15 and mounted the beast, though, some touts will insist that you pay again to disembark and hold you hostage on the hump until you do.
Solution: "Never just get on a random guy's camel," says Kara Lucchesi of STA Travel. Stick to rides arranged via an established tour company.
Bali
Bali has an altogether unexpected kind of crook-the monkeys who are so beloved that they have their own sacred forest and temple, where they're allowed to roam free. These monkeys can have sticky fingers, going after food if it piques their interest-and, worse, valuables. Some enterprising locals are usually on-hand to coax the monkey to give back its plunder, though they'll ask for a small tip of up to $3.50.
Solution: Seek out a staff member for assistance if a monkey snatches something from you. Better yet: hold on tightly to purses and backpacks and remove and secure glasses or anything else that can be easily purloined.
Bolivia
The cramped and congested passageways of Cochabamba's famed La Cancha-the largest market in Bolivia-make it the perfect staging ground for "the squeeze." Overwhelmed by the chaos and distracted by the overflowing stalls, you might find yourself suddenly pressed among a group of burly men, unable to move your arms. By the time the surprise wears off, the thugs have already rummaged through your pockets and disappeared.
Solution: Pay extra attention at cross-streets, which lend themselves to fast approaches and easy escapes.
Colombia
It costs nothing to spend the day at Barú Island's Playa Blanca, which with its white sands and crystal Caribbean surf might be Colombia's most beautiful beach. Lying on your towel, you might feel a pair of warm hands on your shoulders, and hear the soothing voice of a woman saying to accept this massage as a gift. Tempting, but if you aren't prepared to part with at least $10 in pesos, the price will be an especially histrionic fight.
Solution: Remember, there is no such thing as a free massage.
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you don't need to write down taxi info--just take a picture!
The "CD" scam is popular around the world. You could be just about anywhere and usually a kid will walk up to you and try to "give" you something. If you take it they will follow you or send people after you to get money. The best thing to do is a loud "NO" when you see them approach and try to give you something, if you don't even see them leave an item behind (like at the table where you're eating, they'll place it on the table and move away quickly) don't even touch it, rest assured whoever did it will be back to collect. When they do give a loud "NO." I've seen this all over the place, most recently in Russia. Happens mostly in eateries like outdoor cafes, food courts at malls, even in places like Starbucks. Even locals aren't immune.
Ifg you want a free massage go to Thailand, the massage is free, your paying for the sex.
When you get lost and ask a local for the walking route back to your hotel and he directs you through side streets, in other words, not via main streets with a lot of people around, pass on it. My only negative experience in all the years I've traveled, was being directed into a side street as a short-cut in Glasgow, Scotland. Fortunately for me, I saw a group of three young men down the street and passed on it.
If you come to Spain and rent a car beware of a person approaching you with an upside down map and asking how to get to the airport.Whilst you are directing him his accomplice will be creeping up on the passenger side to open the door and steal anything within reach.Keep the doors locked when not moving and only crack the window to speak. I am English but I live in Spain (pensioner), I nearly fell for this one when we first moved in. Luckley for me I was approached whist crossing a road,in Spain it is not advisable to disscuss anything in this position due their mad drivers.I moved to the side where the car was and checked that my wife was still in it and saw the creeper in action.A very loud shout of "SECORRO BANDITO" caused the two that I saw plus an extra dash to their car followed by the police.
If you hve rented a car beware of the stranger who approaches you with an upside down map and asks for guidance to the airport or a local village etc.Whilst you are assisting him his partener(s) are creeping up the passenger side of the car.Their objective is your luggage or anything of value within the car. Apart from when you are moving always keep the car doors locked and only crack the windows to speak to anyone outside.
Another scam (near the airport) is to tailgate you.Whilst you and the driver are arguing your luggage and/or your valubles dissappear.
Both of these comments apply to Spain but have probably migrated to the rest of europe by now.
when I was in high school i went to NYC and definitely got scammed by the CD thing, I had to force him to take it back because I didn't have any money.
How does a CD suddenly land in your hand? The person that fell for this scam must have accepted it, so my question is, why would you accept anything in your hands from a stranger? I don't even accept flyers!
I lived on the island of Malta for years. One of their scams is having a parking lot attendant charging money for free public parking. If you do not pay, they would say " I cannot guarantee the safety of your car".
The author missed the boat by not reporting on the many scams in Thailand, from the notorious jet ski rental scam to the airport King Power duty-free scam. Thaland's scams can end violently and often involve colllusion with Thai authorities.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8154497.stm
Here is a parking scam here in the USA: You are going to an event downtown and look for a parking lot. You approach a lot with one of those folding plastic signs that says "$10 parking". An attendant directs you to a spot and collects your money. When the event is over, you go back only to find that the lot is EMPTY! You call the cops, only to find out that the person who collected the $ was not associated with whoever owned the lot. The real owner had all the vehicles towed away. (Maybe they were in cahoots with the towing company too). This happened to my friend in Detroit a few years ago. Way to avoid it? Well, I park on the street... but you could go to a lot that has an attendant booth...
In Thailand also, the "wallet drop" scam. In popular tourist areas such as the Grand Palace, a well dressed Thai walking just in front of you will seemingly drop his wallet on the street. You; being the good person that you are will pick it up and give it back to him. He will thank you effusively and in gratitude, invite you to dinner in his home to meet all his family. Once there, you will be subjected to any number of gold, gem or investment scams. These people are very good at what they do!
Yeah well, they could have come up with a list of a hundred or a thousand, cause when it comes to money...
The Bolivian one well, anytime headed into a crowd, especially into a market area, watch out. I've had guys in Mexico and South America both push and shove as trying to get you to hurry up. They have a blanket or such and it is in their hands as they push on your back. In reality they are trying to get into your day pack and covering up what they are doing with the blanket.
The dropped baby... I've seen something like this in Buenos Aries. They use mustard or such to squirt you with and then point it out and try to clean it off if you'll just put down your stuff. There is always someone else close by to grab your stuff.
Santiago, Chile guy gets on the subway and starts choking. Needs you to slap him on the back, while his assistant pickpockets you. Taxi, I've had them remove something off the meter to reveal another decimal point of numbers making your total ten times the price....
Best remedy to all scams is pay attention. Tourists are easy targets cause they are busy gawking at stuff and not paying attention to their surroundings. Generally if it's unsolicited help or attention it is probably a scam.
That happened here in milwaukee not that long ago. Except the cars were all still there just with tickets.
This article on 'SCAMS" should be called a scam. I have traveled for the last 50 years all over the world - funny I've never encountered any of these scams or ever knew anyone who did. Yes I am sure they happen - to about .001% of the population and now they have us constantly in fear of a scam.
Yes be wary of pick pockets and theft - but those theives are the most successful and everyone has an experience with them to a degree, so why bother with these complicated ruses? Just warn us of the pickpockets and purse/computer snatches and you have covered 99.9%.
I travel frequently to China for my business. One common scam is the rickshaws. A guy on a bike with a rickshaw attached will follow you down the street promising to take you to whatever destination you please. He will tell you that it is "only 3". Once he rides around the back streets and gets you lost he demands 300RMB. He tells you "Yes 3" and then shows you a card that reads 300RMB. (about $45) The driver has also not taken you where you are supposed to be.
Bottom line...taxis are insanely cheap in China. Don't get on a rickshaw.