The Other Side of Travel
Case in point…on a recent trip to Istanbul, the taxi driver was friendly enough, but then instead of pulling into the driveway of the hotel and letting us off at the main entrance where the hotel staff are posted, he pulled over on the roadside in front of the hotel, a distance from the main entrance, and turned to us to suggest that there was a surcharge on the fare, as it was after 8:00 pm. We had looked at the taxi meter a few minutes before and the rate was equivalent to $7.00 Canadian. Now, miraculously, the meter had gone into hyper-drive (the driver pushed a special button) and it indicated a fare equivalent to nearly $15.00 Canadian. No signs posted in the taxi indicated anything about an evening surcharge.
Well, I was not born yesterday and having been ‘tested’ by taxi drivers in the past, I simply said, “No—take us to the front of the hotel right now”. The driver insisted on the inflated fare. I said “No—I will pay you the $7.00—and if you want more—take us to the front entrance of the hotel right now”. I said this in a very assertive tone. The driver said “Ok ok, give me the $7.00—which we did and he left”. My only regret is that he sped off so quickly I could not get his taxi number to report him to the hotel.
This is a simple scam that befalls many travellers all over the world, and not just in Istanbul. As we get into the summer travel season, it is important that travellers keep their wits about them and not fall for the usual tricks. Here is a short selection of the most popular scams:
ATM scams: Scam artists insert a device into the ATM. Sometimes it can record your information and PIN number for the scammer to use later; sometimes it blocks you from fully inserting your card. The scammer pretends to be a friendly person who offers to help insert your card. Once he has it and asks for your PIN (which you don’t want to give) he/she may threaten you to give up the information so he can access your account. In other instances, the second you leave the ATM machine with your cash, someone holds up a few bills and yells for you to return, saying that the money belongs to you and you must have left it in the money tray. You return to the ATM booth and are either pickpocketed or robbed by the scammer and his/her accomplice
Distraction Scams: One scammer creates a distraction while his/her partner steals your wallet, purse, digital camera, etc. Popular scams include pretending to trip into the victim and spilling a coffee on them. This also works well with mustard or catsup. While the victim is upset at having their clothes wet and ruined, they are not paying attention to the camera they left on the café table or the jacket containing their wallet that they had draped over the chair behind them.
Digital Camera Scams: These can include everything from offering to take your photo and then running away with your camera; to asking you to back up to take in the scenery –causing you to fall over an obstacle, and then running away with your camera; to waiting for you to check on your photo in the bright sunlight (in which most camera monitors would be difficult to see) and then bumping into you and picking your pocket. And due to the cost of memory cards and even batteries, it is not unusual for a friendly fellow traveller to offer to take your photo and then deftly remove these items from your camera before returning it to you!
Shoulder Surfing: Just because you are on an airplane, it does not mean that your fellow seat mate is an honest person. When you fill out your customs declaration—which usually asks where you are staying, and sometimes how much money you are bringing into the country—as well as other personal information—make sure your seat mate is not memorizing your information. And whatever you do…don’t fill out the form and leave it in the seat pocket as you drift off to sleep or leave your seat. It is an open invitation for a scam artist to start planning how to separate you from your money and possessions.
As in every activity, travel has some down-sides. Travel is eminently more enjoyable when you understand the risks that may be involved and you take proactive measures to guard against scam artists. More information –and talks to your organization on travel scams are available by contacting [email protected]
Well, I was not born yesterday and having been ‘tested’ by taxi drivers in the past, I simply said, “No—take us to the front of the hotel right now”. The driver insisted on the inflated fare. I said “No—I will pay you the $7.00—and if you want more—take us to the front entrance of the hotel right now”. I said this in a very assertive tone. The driver said “Ok ok, give me the $7.00—which we did and he left”. My only regret is that he sped off so quickly I could not get his taxi number to report him to the hotel.
This is a simple scam that befalls many travellers all over the world, and not just in Istanbul. As we get into the summer travel season, it is important that travellers keep their wits about them and not fall for the usual tricks. Here is a short selection of the most popular scams:
ATM scams: Scam artists insert a device into the ATM. Sometimes it can record your information and PIN number for the scammer to use later; sometimes it blocks you from fully inserting your card. The scammer pretends to be a friendly person who offers to help insert your card. Once he has it and asks for your PIN (which you don’t want to give) he/she may threaten you to give up the information so he can access your account. In other instances, the second you leave the ATM machine with your cash, someone holds up a few bills and yells for you to return, saying that the money belongs to you and you must have left it in the money tray. You return to the ATM booth and are either pickpocketed or robbed by the scammer and his/her accomplice
Distraction Scams: One scammer creates a distraction while his/her partner steals your wallet, purse, digital camera, etc. Popular scams include pretending to trip into the victim and spilling a coffee on them. This also works well with mustard or catsup. While the victim is upset at having their clothes wet and ruined, they are not paying attention to the camera they left on the café table or the jacket containing their wallet that they had draped over the chair behind them.
Digital Camera Scams: These can include everything from offering to take your photo and then running away with your camera; to asking you to back up to take in the scenery –causing you to fall over an obstacle, and then running away with your camera; to waiting for you to check on your photo in the bright sunlight (in which most camera monitors would be difficult to see) and then bumping into you and picking your pocket. And due to the cost of memory cards and even batteries, it is not unusual for a friendly fellow traveller to offer to take your photo and then deftly remove these items from your camera before returning it to you!
Shoulder Surfing: Just because you are on an airplane, it does not mean that your fellow seat mate is an honest person. When you fill out your customs declaration—which usually asks where you are staying, and sometimes how much money you are bringing into the country—as well as other personal information—make sure your seat mate is not memorizing your information. And whatever you do…don’t fill out the form and leave it in the seat pocket as you drift off to sleep or leave your seat. It is an open invitation for a scam artist to start planning how to separate you from your money and possessions.
As in every activity, travel has some down-sides. Travel is eminently more enjoyable when you understand the risks that may be involved and you take proactive measures to guard against scam artists. More information –and talks to your organization on travel scams are available by contacting [email protected]