According to AAA, international travel has increased by more than 200% compared to last year. More Americans than ever have passports, and they used them this summer. Unfortunately, many of these travelers have also been scammed. According to a recent survey, 52% of those surveyed have lost money to travel fraud or know someone who has been a victim of such. Travelers lost an average of $380, according to a study.
Nearly half of those surveyed were tricked into paying high prices for food and drink, and a third were scammed for help. Old-fashioned pickpocketing still steals from him 21% of travelers, while taxi scams and trick tours account for about 18%. Compassionate travelers are also being duped, with about one in ten deceived by bogus charities and flippant locals.
However, residents of some US states are more gullible and lose more of their hard-earned money than others.
This Midwest state suffered the most casualties
according to fraud information Studies show that Indiana residents are the most affected by travel fraud, with an average of about 5.20. Travelers from Montana, Connecticut, Nebraska, and Kentucky follow them. On the bright side, travelers from Hawaii, South Dakota and Vermont are the least likely to fall victim to travel fraud.
Travelers from Alabama, Idaho, and New Jersey are most likely to fall for local flimsy scams, while “helpful stranger” scams most frequently target travelers from Alaska, Arizona, New Hampshire, and North Dakota. captivate Travelers in Arkansas and Michigan are most likely to experience currency exchange scams, while travelers in California, Florida, Hawaiiand residents of Wisconsin.
Taxi scams most often deceive residents of Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska, New York and Virginia, while residents of Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Washington are the most expensive. more likely to pay food and drink on vacation.
Americans most affected in these regions
The study identified Southern Europe, Western Europe, the Caribbean, South America and Central America as challenging regions for economic growth. american travelerfraud is reported more frequently in these regions.
Elise Armitage of California Italy I was scammed by a kind stranger while traveling with my parents. “We were on the train from Rome to Florence, and we arrived at the station a little too early, so the train information hadn’t yet appeared on the digital screen,” she explains.
“I saw the timetable printed on the other side of the station and quickly reviewed it. I turned around and saw someone talking to my parents. I acted as a kind stranger and asked her if she needed help finding the train.My parents thought she worked at the station, but I gave them the information. Then she held out her hand for money and found out that she had been scammed.”
Pickpocketing in the digital age
Pickpockets are making a comeback all over the world, as travelers’ attention is distracted even when they’re looking up directions, next activities, or browsing social media on their phones. Among those surveyed, travelers from Latin America and Europe were the most robbed. Marjoline, a solo traveler, experienced this on her four-month trip to South America.
“On the first day of joining the company ColumbiaI was trying to look up the local currency when buying something at the supermarket and when I walked out I realized my phone was gone,” she shared. “It wasn’t a new phone, and it wasn’t a big deal, but it was very annoying. I had to get a replacement SIM card in a foreign country and buy a new phone. I always have my phone in my hand when I’m in a strange or unfamiliar place.”
Stephen Garcia, travel expert, empire tours and productionsTourists are often targeted by pickpockets because they often carry more cash than locals, are more gullible and more prone to crime in unfamiliar areas, they said. “Keep your wallet in your front pocket, especially if it’s crowded,” he recommends. “Keep your valuables in your pocket, not in your handbag or bag.”
Garcia also witnessed a sophisticated scam designed to distract tourists while visiting Europe’s top museums. “I was at the Louvre in Paris and there were women in front with clipboards acting like they were taking donations,” he says. “An American tourist pulled out his wallet to donate and found he had a lot of cash. The women with clipboards acted like they didn’t know who the man was, but it was clear to me what had happened.”
Going to these destinations? Beware
Global travelers should pay attention to the most reported regimes in the regions of the world they visit.for American Traveling to Australia and Oceania, the most frequent scams you encounter are by unwitting locals. In the Caribbean, Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, unsuspecting travelers are more likely to fall victim to begging and aid scams.
Those traveling to Eastern Europe, Northeast Asia, North Africa, and Southeast Asia should be aware of taxi scams, and those going to Southern Africa should be aware of charity pleas. The same is true for Americans traveling within the country, where scams over expensive food and drink at popular tourist destinations are the most common.
This article was written by Media Decision and distributed by Wealth of Geeks.
Monica Fish helps her fellow adventurers live financially smart lives so they can travel and explore beautiful worlds on any budget. She writes for her PlannerAtHeart.com about smart timeshare ownership, vacation tips and tricks, travel and activities in the New York metropolitan area, and frugal yet rich living.