There are certain emotions associated with booking a trip to the coast. It is the image of the ocean, the smell of sea breeze, and a room with a view that come to mind. However, these positive feelings are exactly what scammers exploit. As travellers plan their trips, they tend to make decisions rapidly without thinking twice, and that is exactly when a scam occurs.
There are numerous online scammers offering fake accommodation bookings in coastal cities and towns. They usually use popular websites to promote their services and attract potential clients. Moreover, the demand for coastal vacation spots is quite high during the peak season. Therefore, the prices for the same room may vary within an hour. It means that a scammer can post a false listing and offer an amazing discount.
This guide provides you with detailed information on this issue and shows how to avoid booking scams.
Why Are Coastal Trips Popular Targets for Scams?
Coastal cities and towns are extremely popular among tourists. They have high seasonality and, therefore, the demand for accommodation there is rather high. What is more, coastal vacation spots usually have fluctuating prices. The rates for the same room may be different during the day.
Moreover, each city has a variety of accommodation options. There are both chain hotels and private vacation apartments. However, the range of places makes it difficult for tourists to distinguish real listings from fake ones.
Furthermore, people tend to become emotionally involved in planning a trip. Scammers understand it perfectly well. One cannot compare the emotions of people who are scrolling through images of beautiful coastal views late at night and those of a person reading a business contract.
Usually, fraudsters create a whole fake website. It includes reviews, pictures from real hotels, and even a countdown timer.
Common Booking Scams to Pay Attention To
Understanding the methods used by scam artists will help to identify such cases much earlier and prevent financial losses.
Vacation Rental Fraud
Scammers use pictures and descriptions of a real apartment or house and post them on classified ad websites or a look-alike rental agency. The fraudster asks for pre-payment and offers to transfer money to their bank account or an app like PayPal.
Hotel Website Cloning
Scammers copy a hotel’s booking page completely. It usually looks just like the original page except for the URL. When you provide your payment details, they are sent directly to the fraudster without any confirmation.
Booking Agency Scams
Scammers pose as travel agencies and offer to book accommodation for an unusual discount that no one else could give you. They ask for pre-payment, which is sent via gift cards or cryptocurrencies.
Email Phishing After Booking
The fraudster obtains information about hotel guests and sends them emails saying that some payment details need to be updated or reservations need to be confirmed.
The message includes many elements from the original email, and that is why it looks very trustworthy.
Overbooking or Duplicate Listing
In this case, the listing is real. However, the fraudster lists it and accepts payment for unoccupied days or times.
Warning Signs of a Fake Booking Website
It is rare to find just one obvious clue, but the combination of warning signs will definitely help you realize that something is wrong.
- The website address is different from the one provided on the property’s page and contains additional words or symbols.
- The website forces you to pay only with the help of wire transfers, gift cards, or payment apps.
- All the reviews are written in similar language and posted around the same date.
- The price is much lower than that of any other similar listing, and there is no reason for it.
- There is no contact information, or the phone number is different from the country/area code of your destination.
If at least two of these clues appear simultaneously, then you should stop and check the listing.
How to Confirm the Authenticity of the Property or Listing Before Payment
Just a little extra time spent checking the property will save your holiday budget. Always try to verify a listing on at least one more website before making the payment.
Check the property name along with such keywords as “reviews” or “scam”. It will help identify if the property is real. Usually, real properties have a page on many websites, similar pictures, and reviews from several months ago.
Find the physical address of the property on Google Maps.
Contact the property directly. The vast majority of hotels and vacation apartments offer contact information on their websites, separately from third-party booking pages.
Just send an email or make a phone call to confirm your booking and see what the reply is. It will help you understand if the booking is real or not, as scammers usually do not know anything about the property that they offer.
Payment Practices to Ensure Your Safety During Coastal Booking
Payment practices matter as much as your choice of a listing. Usually, the best payment method for booking is a credit card. It offers better protection than debit cards, wire transfers, or apps. All major credit card issuers allow users to dispute charges if the service was not provided.
Wire transfers are one of the easiest ways to lose money to scammers. Once money is sent to a scammer, the chances of returning it are minimal. That is the main reason why scammers use this method.
You can reduce the risk of fraud significantly if you use a credit card instead of wire transfers or gift cards.
Besides, it is important to be careful when booking accommodation using public Wi-Fi. Even though you may use it to search for a good coastal vacation spot, using a public network while paying for accommodation increases the risk of fraud.
Using your laptop or phone with an antivirus program installed will reduce the chances of scams. Many fraudsters use malware or phishing attacks to obtain personal information. Running an antivirus free trial before going on vacation will reduce this danger and increase safety.
Also, you should keep your booking confirmation somewhere else except for your mailbox. A screenshot of your confirmation page will serve as proof in case the booking needs to be reconfirmed.
What to Do in Case of a Suspected Booking Scam
Firstly, you should contact your bank or credit card company and inform them about the fraud as soon as possible. It is likely that the payment could be frozen or reversed if reported to the bank in time.
Reporting the listing will not only protect you but also the next tourist from being scammed. The majority of booking websites allow you to report suspicious listings, and you can also inform consumer protection authorities about fraudulent travel websites.
Document everything in case of suspected fraud. Collect all your evidence in order to dispute payments and report the scam.
Booking Wisely Without Losing the Fun of Planning
It does not mean that all coastal listings are frauds. On the contrary, the vast majority of listings are legitimate and trustworthy.
The aim is not to doubt everything but to develop habits that will help you avoid being scammed easily.
Using only trusted booking websites like Booking.com, checking unfamiliar listings, paying with a credit card, and contacting the property directly are the easiest ways to make sure that everything is fine and do not take much extra time.
Building the mentioned practices into your regular routines will allow you to enjoy planning the trip without fear.
Conclusion
As it was already said, coastal destinations will always attract lots of tourists. Consequently, fraudsters will keep trying to scam those excited travellers.
The difference between being scammed and having a great experience will depend only on a small number of precautions taken.
Do not hurry, trust your feelings, and follow the tips mentioned above. With a little caution included in the booking process, your online planning of a coastal trip will remain the fun part of your vacation.