It’s almost time to book your next overseas holiday but before you do, you need to be wary of some sneaky scams out there.
From fake hotel bookings to literally unbelievable deals, these tricks are sure to keep holiday seekers thousands of dollars out of pocket.
And scammers know when to strike, particularly when almost everyone has barely had a holiday in two years due to the pandemic.
“The scammers know that the tsunami of bookings is coming. So they’re really trying to make sure they can capitalise on this pent-up demand as well,” Australian Traveller’s Quentin Long told Today.
He explained that one of the best scams out there is when someone books a stunning Airbnb but when the client arrives, the place simply doesn’t exist.
“You turn up to the address and there’s no property there. They have done a lot to clean that up, but it still happens,” Mr Long said.
He recommends doing a thorough search of the property and to also read Google reviews to see what others have experienced or not.
Another red flag to keep an eye out for are places that only have a PO Box as their address or simple spelling errors.
“Then there’s the more sophisticated ones where you will see a deal on a website. It looks legitimate and they actually do the transaction,” Mr Long continued.
“They send you a booking confirmation and it has your name on it. It looks absolutely normal, legitimate and trustworthy. The problem is they have used a stolen credit card to book that travel on your behalf.”
Mr Long suggests booking with an Australian company to avoid being scammed and to have travel insurance as well.
Image: Shutterstock
This article first appeared on OverSixty.