Traveling is one of life's great and rich pleasures. There is often a sense of eager anticipation before the trip and a euphoric excitement once you set foot in a new place.
But the giddy excitement could be a lucrative opportunity for scammers.
“People need to learn to take emotion out of their travel planning,” Amy Nofziger of the AARP Fraud Watch Network said in a phone interview with Fox News Digital.
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“Don't confuse FOMO (fear of missing out) with any financial decision,” she said.
Nofziger is one of the nation's leading fraud experts, and last week he spoke before U.S. senators in Washington, D.C., about the fraud crisis plaguing the country.
Tourists wear umbrellas and hats to protect themselves from the sun at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, Saturday, July 13, 2024. Crowded travel destinations are perfect places for scammers, experts warn. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Crowds, frequent shopping, language barriers and an over-reliance on websites and apps reportedly make travelers more susceptible to scams.
“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 5,000 reports of scams related to travel, vacation and timeshare plans in 2023,” the Washington, D.C.-based AARP reported in May.
According to a 2023 survey by online security company McAfee, “30% of Americans have been scammed or know someone who has been scammed while booking or traveling, and 34% lost more than $1,000.”
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Here are five signs that scammers might be trying to steal the excitement of your dream trip, and what to do about it.
1. The locals are too friendly
Travelers can sometimes rely on friendly, knowledgeable locals to enhance their vacation experience.
Several passengers board an SNCF INOUI TGV train leaving SNCF Lyon-Part-Dieu station in Lyon, France, on August 14, 2024, bound for Rennes station in Brittany. (Matthew Delati via Getty Images)
But European travel expert Rick Steves warned that many people may come across as too friendly on first meeting.
These scammers come in many different guises.
“Be careful of chance encounters on the street.”
Locals might offer unsolicited advice to distract you so they can pickpocket you, there are good Samaritans who will come by in an unfriendly way, claiming to have found something you've lost, and, according to Steeves, there are “charming flirts” who might be looking to feed your ego and scam you.
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“Get to know Europeans,” Steves writes on his blog, ricksteves.com, “but be careful of chance encounters on the street.”
2. Deals that seem too good to be true
Experts warn that travel is especially vulnerable to scams, with deals that “sound too good to be true” running the gamut from digital transactions long before you depart for your trip to in-person scams abroad.
Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. With its crowds, alcohol and wanton spenders, Las Vegas can be an ideal target for scammers. (Kelly J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
“Everyone who wants to travel wants the best price so they can take their family on their dream vacation,” Nofziger said.
“So when you come across an opportunity that's cheaper than the advertised price, you're tempted to jump at the chance to get a bargain, and scammers know this,” she added, “so they lure you in with quotes that are too good to be true.”
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Rental properties advertised at prices well below market rate compared to similar properties in the same city, drivers promising to get you to your destination for less than a taxi, or online offers about a special dream property “if you act now” are all likely to be scams, experts say.
3. Exchange rate scammers
The value of a dollar varies widely between different currencies, and it can be difficult to calculate when cash is quickly changing hands, such as for a taxi ride, a takeaway food purchase, or a drink at a bar.
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A cup of coffee in Türkiye costs 100 lira, which is roughly $3 in US dollars.
That same coffee might seem like a good deal the next day in Greece when the cashier hears “20 euros” and happily hands you a new note, but 20 euros is roughly $17.
A panoramic view of the Trocadero venue where the Olympic flag will be raised during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the Eiffel Tower rising in the background. (FRANCOIS-XAVIER MARIT/Pool via Reuters)
Exchange rate scammers in popular tourist destinations can make a substantial side income by scamming just a few busy travelers a day.
A good rule of thumb is to remember exchange rates in $10s or $100s, not $1s, as this is the amount you're likely to spend in one exchange.
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In Turkey, 340 lira is about $10 at the current rate, and in Greece, 9 euros is also about $10.
If you calculate it in your head in ten-dollar increments instead of one-dollar increments, it will be easier to tell if you are being scammed.
4. Credit card fraud
Interchanging credit cards should be smooth and flawless almost anywhere in the world, probably with less hassle than it would be in the US.
For example, many Europeans were quicker to adopt tap-and-go credit cards than most Americans.
A waiter takes a credit card payment at Panaderia Rosetta, a bakery in Mexico City, Mexico. Experts are urging restaurant and store employees to be vigilant about whether they are calling when taking credit card payments, as this could be a sign of fraud. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Experts say even the smallest problems are a warning sign.
You may have to swipe your credit card multiple times because of “machine problems,” or the clerk may have to manually enter your credit card number, or you may be asked for additional personal information.
All of these could be scams.
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Steves warned that the person receiving your card should focus solely on you.
“Beware of store clerks who appear to be talking on the phone when you hand over your credit card,” he wrote online. “They may be surreptitiously taking a photo of the card. Consider paying for small purchases with cash.”
5. Hard sales
If you're wary of hard sales pitches in familiar situations at home, you should apply the same skepticism abroad, no matter how much you covet a souvenir, a stylish outfit or a parasailing adventure in the Mediterranean.
The Greek island of Santorini is one of the world's most famous tourist destinations, with numerous cruise ships anchored in the bay. Its architecture is also known for its two-tone combination of white-painted buildings and light blue details. (iStock)
“Where there's a dollar, there's a criminal or somebody trying to take that dollar,” Nofziger said.
“We need to practice our refusal scripts. We need to learn how to say no and be empowered to say 'no.'”
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Experts say the excitement of travel can also override normal thought processes: Opportunities that mean nothing at home suddenly sound exotic in your new country, or even when you're planning to go there.
High-traffic tourist areas like Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas are ideal targets for pickpockets, credit card scammers, and many other scammers. (Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto, VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images, Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
Hard selling can be done online as well as in person.
“Fake travel offers can arrive through email, text message, social media, postcards, robocalls and online pop-up ads,” AARP reported online.
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“Even if they appear genuine, some scammers will copy the logos of legitimate businesses, so be very wary of these offers.”
