A lot of travelers are concerned about becoming targets of fraud when they visit unfamiliar locations—issues such as getting robbed or deceived by companies that seem genuine but aren’t.
These concerns are not unwarranted, as stated in a report by the Mastercard Economic Institute.
A new research shows that the travel sector is frequently targeted by fraudsters who take advantage of travelers' lack of familiarity with their surroundings.
The Mastercard Economic Institute examined anonymous transaction records and discovered that the travel sector is among the most susceptible to fraudulent activities.
The statistics show that fraud reports increase by 18 percent in favored vacation areas during the busy summer months and jump by more than 28 percent in chilly locales during the winter season.
The report states, "Tourist hotspots that draw big groups of people are ideal targets for scammers because these areas have a dense population of potential victims along with a surge in financial activities."
The report points out various locations where tourists may face a higher risk of scams, such as Cancun, Mexico; Hanoi, Vietnam; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Bangkok, Thailand—destinations popular among visitors.
On the contrary, cities like San Francisco, Dublin, Seoul, Budapest, and Edinburgh have some of the lowest recorded instances of travel-related fraud, which makes these places comparatively safer for tourists.
"This is a comparative analysis, not a ranking of cities with the highest or lowest fraud rates," according to the report.
Fraud related to travel frequently begins long before your trip departs.
In 2024, fraudulent activities during the initial phase of travel planning saw an uptick of 12 percent compared to the preceding year.
The report indicates that fraudsters often employ doctored destination images, counterfeit booking confirmations, and deceptive vacation packages to prey on tourists seeking discounts—particularly those aiming to economize amid increasing inflation and financial strain.
The study shows that the majority of travel scams revolve around bogus travel companies and guided tour operations, with such fraudulent activities happening more than four times above the worldwide average rate.
In certain areas, such as Hong Kong, these scams are particularly common—with fraudulent agencies and tour operators making up 70 percent of the city’s travel-related fraud cases.
Pretend travel agencies and tour operators are prevalent in both Barcelona and Delhi, India, making up 64 percent of travel fraud cases in these locations.
These scams occur with similar frequency in Singapore (49 percent) and Cancun (48 percent), highlighting their prevalence in popular travel destinations.
Travelers ought to beware of tour providers who offer extremely discounted rates or demand complete advance payment immediately, as these can be significant indicators of possible fraud.
According to the report, “After payment has been made, the tour might either never take place or turn out to be significantly different from what was originally promised.”
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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