7 INSANELY CUNNING Travel Scams to Look Out for in 2024 ✈️

Don’t get fooled by these sneaky travel scams! (click "show more" to see add disclosure)

I’m both fascinated and disgusted with travel scams around the world.

We got scammed multiple times, but there were even more times where we ALMOST got scammed.

And the main reason we didn’t fall for some of these travel tourist scams is because we watched videos like this one.

Some of these are Europe travel scams, but others happen all over the world.

The more you know about these travel scammers ahead of time, the easier they are to recognize in real life.

🔴 M O R E C O O L V I D E O S 😎 :

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🟠 LINKS + COOL STUFF:

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🟢 T O P R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S :

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🔴 C H A P T E R S:
0:00 Scammers Are Evolving
0:24 The "Full" Venue Scam
1:27 The Unofficial Officials Scam
4:27 The Restaurant Credit Card Scam
5:44 The "Contactless" ATM Scam
7:03 The SIM Card Travel Scam
9:30 The Daily Special Scam

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🟣 A L I T T L E A B O U T U S

Heyo! Mitch and Day here 👋🏼

We’re just your typical American-Colombian couple determined to live every second of our precious time here on earth to the fullest. After a 10-month solo backpacking trip through South America, I (Mitch) stopped in Cali, Colombia to take salsa dancing classes 💃🏻. I only planned to stay for a couple weeks, but God had other plans for me. I met a cute Colombian girl (Day) in class, those couple weeks turned into a couple years, and before we knew it...we were married 👰🏻🤵🏼

Now we’re traveling the world full time as digital nomads, supporting ourselves by working online 👨‍💻👩‍💻

Our goal with these videos is to inspire you to step outside your comfort zone, give you an inside peek at our crazy imperfect lives, and show you that you don’t have to be rich to live an extraordinary life...all you need to do is make the choice!

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Advertiser Disclosure:
This video may contain links through which we are compensated when you click on or are approved for offers. The information in this video was not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Offers are current only as the time of the video publishing date and may have changed by the time you watch it.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. Project Untethered does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

[ProjectUntethered]

Share your travel scam experiences in the comments to help other travelers avoid them👇

Here are the links I mentioned in this video:

[michaelb]

You don't hand over your passport to anyone in public. Hand them a copy and tell them your passport is in your hotel safe - even if it's in your money belt.

[ikeskifan]

Here is a little tip.
Before going to a country do a series of Google searches to come up with the profile of the police chief.. screenshot it and put it on your phone as wallpaper.
If a cop tries to scam you simply show him the cops pic. He will leave you alone very fast

[williamaungleyraud]

I absolutely despise restaurants that do not display prices in their menus, that means that your face will dictate the price. Also it's a good idea to snap a photo of your food prior eating, not so you post online, but as proof of what you actually had because often places may sneak another dish or drink in your bill then will use your language barrier agaist you, forcing you into payng for something you've never had.

[BitSmythe]

*This is one of the best videos ever. NO stolen videos, stupid sound effects, fake laughs, stupid loud “music” or a narrator who loves to hear his own voice. DIRECT, TO THE POINT. CONGRATULATIONS!!!*

[hotruck]

In Aruba Dec 2023, the Airbnb wifi must have been hacked.

I'd emailed my airline because I couldn't use online check in. The response was that my flights to Curacao had been cancelled due to lack of payment.

I replied that's not possible, I booked the flights in May.

They responded to send my credit card info to see what had happened with payment.

At that moment my Spidey senses kicked in.

I called the airline, spoke to an agent who said my flights were intact, no need to worry!

[w_w_whitey]

Booking scam happened to us recently too. I was able to avoid it because I'd seen a video like this one. Thanks for keeping us all informed!

[albertngai]

In Canada, restaurant wait staff have been bringing the mobile credit card terminal to the table for probably 10 years now. We NEVER put our card in the little black folder and let them take it away. Paying the bill is always done at the table so that our card never leaves our hand. The waiter leaves the terminal at the table or stands a metre away and waits. The tip is calculated right on the terminal and entered in. There is no receipt signing. Most of the time, we tap the card. This was also done in Japan, Thailand and Europe. USA, you guys need to get with the times.

[nyc]

There is so much danger of getting scammed everywhere. Be it in or out of the country, one has to stress about everything all the time. What has life become? And it's not getting better!

[brucehuddler]

So, Never trust any stranger outside a Restaurant, Never do a ATM pull with anyone near by, use ATM’s in front of banks with security guards present, do not talk to strangers at ATM’s, especially giving you advice, Never get involved with any taxi driver during (any other than fare) purchases. Go in bar, pay bill with cash, don’t hand them your card.

[jonbarnard]

Another tip: Always ask for one menu to be left on your table to avoid price switches when the bill comes. And if there is a sandwich board out front that lures you with a deal, snap a picture of it, so you can bring it up when the bill comes and that special price has disappeared.

[nadiataylor]

Listening to all these scams and reading comments, it really puts me off travelling anywhere :-(

[SuperSarah]

In Honolulu, I came across a well dressed disabled tourist who was holding a broken front wheel from his wheelchair. I stopped to see if he was alright and with tears in his eyes he told me his wheelchair was broken and he needed a taxi to get to his hotel as he had no other way of getting back. So I gave him $20. Afterwards I wondered if it was a scam or genuine, but his face was red with anguish and there were real tears there. A year later I'm back in Honolulu again. Coming out of a restaurant one morning, I came across a familiar sight. The same person, in a broken wheelchair, holding his detached front wheel and was talking to a gentleman who was then getting his wallet out. I went over there like a shot and got up real close and said "Hey, do you remember me? - I'm the Australian tourist you had me with this scam last year!". With that the gentleman smiled and put his money away. At first the scammer said that he was genuine and that the wheel had failed again (a year later!) - pitiful!!. I gave him a verbal dressing down and afterwards he did look a bit sheepish - but who knows, he was a good actor after all. I told him that if I saw him again I'd report him to the police - and I'd really put him in a wheelchair.

[przemyslawkrata]

Thank you for this honest advice. I can confirm that menu switching is a real problem in several countries and I have encountered it in Bulgaria. First you order food with the cheaper menu in hand, then the waiter takes the orders AND all the menu cards from the table, ultimately the bill is much higher. If you remember the prices, you'll be asked to check the numbers again, but the menu "magically" shows a completely different set of prices for the same dishes. In the end you have to pay, being aware of the fraud but not being able to prove it in another country, another language, etc.

[SilverfoxJB]

No way In the world I am handing my card to anyone (including in the US).
If I can't dab and go or insert the card myself and insert my PIN. It ain't happening.
I went to a Starbucks in Brunei.
They tried to take my card, I said no and dabbed my card on the machine and the payment went through.
Then they asked for my full card number, I asked why they needed it. They said the machine wasn't connected to the POS machine.
I told them that wasn't my problem, as the payment had gone through.
Not sure if it was an attempted scan, but was for sure weird, especially as the staff member told me he wasn't a scammer, even though I never suggested he was.

[PsychicLord]

I experienced a scam in a Bangkok hotel back in November. Someone in the hotel skimmed the room safe, I had two pouches each containing £1, 000. Because I incorrectly assumed the hotel room safes were secure, I did not check the pouches until 10 days later. Checking, I found that one pouch only contained £500, and the other £420. Since the hotel does not take responsibility, I lost over £1, 000, and spent the rest of my vacation carrying the remaining funds on my person.

[chilesauce]

When the waiter brings the card machine, swipe and put the wrong pin code in, if it is a scam the machine will accept the wrong pin.

[DrCalvinTeach]

Got scammed in Bogota with a variation of the restaurant scam. We went out for drinks from the drink menu they gave us. I knew exactly what the price would be and the waitress was so nice and helpful. Then the bill came out and it was 4X as much!!! I asked for the waitress who helped us. She just “disappeared” and when I asked for her they said “no one by that name works here.” Then the manager, a male and several security came out and he says “is there a problem here?” What am I gonna do? So I paid the amount and had a bitter lesson about being wiser when I travel.

[sympathietrager]

That scam with simcards happened to us when we travelled to Istanbul. We arrived at the airport Sabia Gökcen on the Asian side and got 2 simcards for around 30 US$ each at a seemingly official Turkcell counter. It was expensive but we needed internet urgently and thought "f*** it". They told us that the cards would get activated after 15 to 30 mins. So we left the airport and were wondering why this didn't happen. After we left, we couldn't get back into the airport to complain. The next day we went to an official Turkcell store in the center of Istanbul and there they told us that we were sold 2 empty simcars that needed to get charged, 20 Gigabytes were like 5 US$. We were super pissed. Fortunately that was the only scam we experienced on this trip.

[animated]

Even in the US, I hold onto the menu until paycheck. "We might want to order something else later"