TravelScams

I recently booked an apartment on Booking.com for an upcoming family trip. It looked perfect for what we needed, had about 10 reviews, and the price was surprisingly affordable. In hindsight, maybe a bit too good to be true. A few hours after booking, the host contacted me...

Booked an apartment in Val Thorens through Booking about 6 weeks ago. Nothing in the listing about a separate deposit. Payment was due 2 days before arrival. Three days before the trip, the host messages me on WhatsApp saying there’s a £1000 deposit that has to be transferred...

If you’re looking at those week long scuba or free diving retreats you see all over Instagram, just slow down and do your homework. A lot of them look dreamy in reels, but when you break down what’s actually included, they can be wildly overpriced for what you get. I went on one...

Booked Venice hotel on Booking… now they want me to pay on another site? I booked a non refundable rate on Booking because it was cheaper and paid at the time. Got the confirmation email from Booking. Within minutes, the hotel messaged me asking me to pay through a separate...

Booked flights through Booking.com. Airline changed the schedule and the new times didn’t work since the first leg would land after the connection had already departed. I contacted Booking.com support and they told me there was nothing they could do, but gave me a phone number...

Quick warning for anyone around Napoli or Pompei. We took a taxi from the Pompei archaeological park to the main train station. Paid 15 euros, which felt a bit steep for such a short ride, but we were tired after about 5 hours walking and did not feel like doing the 25 minute...

This is honestly one of the sketchiest Booking.com stories I’ve seen in a while. Stayed in an apartment in Ho Chi Minh, paid cash, place wasn’t as advertised, left a negative review… and then suddenly the host changes the reservation dates from a completed January stay to July...

We don’t speak much Spanish. Took a taxi late at night, showed the driver our address, and he typed “800” on his phone calculator. We agreed to the price before moving. He said something about “card” and we nodded and said in English that we could pay card or cash. No real...

I’ll start with mine. Landed in Lisbon around 10pm, completely wiped. Grabbed a taxi from the official stand, meter running, everything looked legit. Halfway through the ride he asks if it’s my first time in Portugal. I say yes. About ten minutes later, right before we arrive,...

Curious if anyone else has run into this. I’m a Hertz Gold member and rent a lot. Returned a car yesterday at the Escondido location after filling up less than half a mile away. Fuel gauge showed full, all bars. Agent tells me their system says the car came back at 93 percent...

Booked two nights at Rydges Hunter Valley and thought I was booking directly with the hotel. Price showed $880. Minutes later I see $1227 taken from my bank. Turns out it was GuestReservations with almost $400 in junk fees. Called immediately and was told it was non refundable....

I’m Indonesian but grew up in Europe, and my partner is very obviously white. We’re in Yogyakarta right now and it feels like we’re getting targeted constantly. The obvious stuff I expected. Batik “exhibitions,” overpriced tuk tuk rides when it’s hot and you’re tired, fine. But...

Had an awful experience with Booking.com and I’m done with them. We booked a place that turned out to be completely fake. The address didn’t exist and the contact details went nowhere. I contacted Booking.com support three times and got absolutely nowhere. Despite clearly being...

Quick reminder about a scam that keeps popping up. I got a WhatsApp and SMS about a hotel I’d booked, asking me to “verify” my reservation or risk cancellation. Looked very legit. No spelling errors, friendly tone, and they even had my real reservation number. The message...

Wanted to share an update in case this helps anyone else, because this was seriously confusing at first. I got a legit Southwest confirmation email for a weird LGA to DAL to ABQ trip, about $1200, booked in my exact name and sent to my personal email. No Rapid Rewards number...

Booked a hostel in Phuket last week and thought I was just dealing with the usual fake WhatsApp messages pretending to be “booking.com verification.” Block, ignore, move on. But then I got a call from someone pretending to be AmEx fraud. British accent, full script, even walked...

Landed in Delhi and planned to take the metro to New Delhi station, then walk to my hotel in Paharganj. On the overpass, a guy stopped me saying it was “one-way only” and I couldn’t walk there without a train ticket. He told me to go downstairs. Down on the street, another guy...

I’ve rented from Sixt a ton with zero issues, but this one got me. At pickup I just asked if there were any free upgrades for Platinum members. They said no cool, no problem. When I got home, I saw a $100 “upgrade fee” added to my bill even though I never agreed to one. Customer...

Rented a car from SIXT last week and did a full walkaround before leaving. Didn’t see anything wrong with the vehicle. A few days after returning it, I got an email saying they’d found a “scratch” and plan to charge me for it. The photos they sent are completely inconclusive, I...

Got hit by a new scam at an airport restaurant overseas. You order and pay online, the charge goes through, and then a minute later you get a “declined wrong CVC or expiration” message from your bank. It looks real, but it’s triggered by the restaurant. I paid again, only to...

Just a heads-up for anyone traveling through Athens. A group of women were selling roses one got pushy and started pressing flowers against my wife’s arm while dropping her “price” fast. Turned out she’d unzipped my wife’s crossbody purse during the distraction. Luckily nothing...