People who are heading on holiday this year are being warned about a scam over spilt food or drink.
A travel expert said this is a popular scam, particularly in busy cities, where a stranger will seemingly spill food or drink over you and apologise profusely. As they are wiping the mess off you, one of their partners will be going through your belongings robbing you. By the time they are done, you will still have a stain on your clothing while your pockets may have been emptied.
Travel expert and owner of Hot Tub Lodges, Ilkka Ollikainen said: "If you find someone has spilt something over you in a crowded area, don't let them touch you. While accidents can happen, it's more than likely a ruse to get you to put your guard down so an accomplice can go through your pockets."
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It is important to note that most people go away and have a wonderful time without becoming a victim of any scams. However, there are some other scams that people are being urged to be aware of.
Taxi Overcharge
Your plane has just landed, you have collected your luggage and you have just jumped into a taxi. In all of the excitement, you may have already been scammed.
Ilkka said: "One of the most common scams where ever you travel is to get ripped off by the taxi company. If the driver doesn't turn on the metre or you notice it going up very quickly you have been scammed.
"Before travelling, find out how much your route should cost and then use this as a reference. If you find your ride going up too quickly ask them to pull over and find another cab company. Always use a licensed cab to minimise the chance of getting ripped off."
Accommodation is full or closed
Another common scam that you may encounter when travelling abroad is the taxi company telling you your accommodation is full and they know of a better hotel with free rooms. The new hotel is often owned by an accomplice that will charge you extortionate prices.
Ilkka said: "Don't fall for this scam and insist that you be taken to the hotel that you have booked and have paid for. Usually, this is enough to be taken to your hotel that isn't full, but if the taxi company keep on insisting, get out and find a new taxi."
Broken Camera
The broken camera scam can be an expensive and frightening scam when it is pulled on you. A stranger will ask you to take a picture of them and when they hand you the camera they will drop it and make it seem like it's your fault.
The stranger will then become aggressive requesting payment to fix the camera. Ilkka said: "This is one of those scams where you are made to feel intimidated and it's not a very nice experience to have, unfortunately, the only way to stop this scam from happening is to tell people you won't take a picture of them."
Vehicle Rental Damage
Another expensive con that is used on tourists is the damaged vehicle rental con. This starts as an innocent exchange where you rent a vehicle such as a scooter, car or jet ski and as collateral, you give the company your passport. When you return the vehicle, the company will inspect it and find damage that wasn't there before.
Ilkka said: "Companies can pull all kinds of scams when it comes to vehicles so be sure to take videos and pictures of your vehicle when renting one, you should also take the time to thoroughly review any rental company to make sure they are legit."
Public Wi-Fi
Connecting to the Wi-Fi abroad is something that many of us look to do as soon as we get to our hotel, but connecting to the wrong Wi-Fi can have devastating financial effects. Scammers can set up public unsecured networks which allow you to connect while in the background your data is being stolen.
Ilkka said: "Never connect to unsecured networks as a golden rule, you don't know who owns these networks and what they intend to do with your data. You should also turn off the settings in your phone to stop the automatic connection to Wi-Fi spots such as these too."
"Finally if you do need to connect to the Wi-Fi when abroad, make sure to use a VPN so that your data has another level of protection."
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