A travel writer has warned of three common types of travel scams in the post-COVID-19-pandemic era, including phishing scams pretending to be legitimate hotel booking Web sites, and fake discount or upgrade plans.
The writer, who posts online as 943, on Saturday said that some scammers pretend they are hotel booking Web sites and send private messages or e-mails to customers asking them to pay early.
As travelers usually receive these messages before they check in to their hotels, they might easily fall for the scam, fearing they would lose their booking, she said.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
Travelers should not click on any links or scan QR codes included in these types of private messages or e-mails, even if they look like they are from legitimate hotel booking sites, she said, adding that they also should not provide their credit card number, reservation number or personal identification code.
People who suspect they received a scam message should contact the actual hotel or booking site they used to confirm the legitimacy of the message, 943 said.
They should first make sure that the hotel’s official Web site has not been hacked, she said.
People should use two-factor authorization, such as receiving a one-time password, for their credit cards for extra security, as some instances of fraud have been discovered when a traveler receives a text message informing them of a foreign transaction, she said.
Moreover, some scammers might pretend to be an operator from a legitimate hotel and offer fake discounts or upgrade services, such as free breakfast, and might provide links that appear to point to the hotel’s official site, she said.
If a person booked a hotel room that needs to be paid upon check in, they should not pay in advance either with a credit card or cash transfer, and should always check directly with the hotel for confirmation, 943 said.
As for hotel booking scams, she said that some travelers have booked guesthouses, but later received an e-mail from the owner saying that there are problems with the room, and that they would need to move to another room, pay a deposit fee or agree to other unreasonable conditions.
If a traveler agrees to change the room, the scammer would ask for their reservation number and personal identification code, which they might use to cancel their booking and they would not get their money back, she said.
She urges travelers to closely read the details when booking a hotel, such as whether the check-in and check-out times are reasonable, whether the deposit fee is too high, whether the room has air-conditioning, and never provide a reservation number or personal identification code to anyone, no matter the reason, as it is likely a scam.
Travelers should also be aware of hotels with only or an abnormal number of high reviews, such as 9.9 out of 10 or 4.9 out of 5, as that might be an indicator that the reviews are fake or manipulated.
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