Used to be an overpriced tourist trap was the biggest concern most travelers faced. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns temporarily ended tourism and travel worldwide. The end of lockdowns created a flood of Americans who are desperate to get away from it all for the first time in nearly two years. As always, high demand and money have spawned a cottage industry of travel scams that are becoming depressingly common. Every traveler, vacationer or business tripper should beware of these travel scams.
Travel agency scams
Scammers know that tourists eager to return to traveling and are looking to swindle hasty and unsuspecting travelers of their money through various means. Weeding out suspicious travel agencies is perhaps the most important thing to look out for. Amy Nofziger, AARP anti-fraud expert, pointed to bargain deals as an example of a red flag that should alert the customer.
Did I apply for this grant?
If the answer is “no”, the grant is invariably a scam. While the government has a diverse share of handouts, the process of receiving money from the government is uniform across the board. You apply, most likely wait until a fair bit of vetting takes place, and then get approval from an official source.
Offers of free money from government grants? That’s a scam
Government grant scammers know that not everyone is familiar with the “did I apply” rule, and will often come out in full force after some form of disaster or incident occurred. It could be on a national scale, a city scale or even something that happened to you personally. Here, the scammers will pose as government officials and try to convince you they have a government check just for you they’d be happy to hand over if you’d just confirm a few details…
You might think a gift card should be something you just can’t put a negative spin on. While the recipient might not always be perfectly content with the available choice of the store or what can be purchased, gift cards have long served as a ubiquitous token of appreciation. They’re given out of kindness (or kindness mixed with a bit of promotion). Gift cards are a way for aunts and uncles to acknowledge nieces and nephews during holidays, shorthand for, “I don’t quite know what you want so find yourself something you’ll like.” Employers use gift cards because, according to research, employees think gift cards have a higher perceived value than an equivalent cash bonus.
Scams and frauds are often as creative as they are crooked, and the latest string of Social Security scams that has been sweeping the nation is yet another example of this. Like most scammers, the perpetrators are either looking to get cash before hanging up the phone, or are hoping to harvest personal information for a more elaborate scam at a later date.
Hang up, that’s not Social Security calling to threaten you
The Social Security media scam is fear-driven, and often marked by meticulousness. The scammers will phone or contact the victim, posing as a Social Security agent and informing them that their Social Security account has been compromised. The fraudsters know their way around technology, and are able to spoof the caller ID to make it look as if the call is coming from Washington, D.C.. Sometimes they will also present an agent’s badge or other information to persuade the respondent of their legitimacy.