Tourist Money Scams: ATMs, Taxis and Fake Bookings

Before using an ATM, look at the card slot and keypad for loose, damaged or added parts, and walk away from a machine that looks tampered with. Choose machines inside banks or in busy, well-lit places, cover the keypad when you type the PIN and refuse help from strangers. If the machine keeps your card, freeze it in your app.

In shops and restaurants, check the amount and currency on the terminal before you approve, and turn on transaction alerts so an unfamiliar charge shows up at once. If the terminal offers your home currency, that is dynamic currency conversion; choose the local currency so your own card converts.

At exchange counters, ask for the exact amount you will receive after all fees before you hand over money. A poor but clearly shown rate is a bad deal; a short count, a hidden fee or a different amount from the one agreed is the scam.

The FTC’s warning signs for rental scams are a price far below others in the area, an owner who is out of the country and cannot show the place, pressure to decide fast, the same address advertised under another owner’s name, and requests for wire transfers, gift cards or cryptocurrency. Money sent that way works like cash and is usually hard to get back.

For a holiday rental, get the contract before sending any deposit, check that the address exists and contact the owner through details you found yourself.

On a booking platform, keep payment inside the platform. Booking.com advises comparing any payment request with the original booking policy and contacting support through its official app or site if details change or a message demands urgent payment.

Scenario: a message in your booking chat knows your dates, says your card failed and asks for €200 through a new link within one hour. Open the official app yourself, check whether the booking shows an unpaid amount and contact support from inside the app. Pay only if support confirms the payee, the amount and the reason.

Book tours through the operator’s own site or a marketplace you opened yourself. The marketplace takes the payment, while a local operator, guide or boat company usually runs the tour; the listing and voucher should name that supplier and its contact. A listing with no named operator, a price far below similar tours or a seller who wants a transfer to a personal account is a reason to book elsewhere.

Pay by card through the booking page. A card payment for a tour that never happens can be disputed through your card issuer, while cash handed to a stranger is very hard to recover. If the terms list an excluded fee, such as park entry or a fuel surcharge, confirm its amount and payment method through the official channel before the day.

Be careful with messages saying the guide changed, the payment failed or an urgent fee is due. Open the booking from your saved confirmation, compare the reference and contact the operator through the channel named there. Never give a PIN, a card security code or remote access to keep a reservation alive.

Read the cancellation rule on the exact option before you pay. On GetYourGuide, the default is a full refund if you cancel more than 24 hours before the activity and no refund within 24 hours or for a no-show, unless the activity page, supplier terms or voucher say otherwise. Refunds go to the original payment method unless you choose an offered gift-card refund (as of 26 Sep 2026).

If you are threatened, get to safety and call local emergency services first. Then contact whoever moved the money as quickly as you can. Transfers are hard to pull back once they arrive, so minutes count.

The FTC notes that crypto payments lack the legal protections of credit and debit cards; report them anyway. Keep receipts, messages, transaction IDs, amounts and times, and make a police report where your bank or insurer needs one.

If you gave away a password, change it from a trusted device wherever you used it and turn on two-factor authentication. If you gave someone remote access to a device, run a security scan and change your passwords.

Tell the bank exactly what happened. A payment you did not make, a payment you were tricked into making and a paid service that never happened are handled in different ways.

After a loss, be wary of unsolicited offers to recover your money. A “lawyer”, “investigator” or “regulator” who wants an upfront fee, more crypto, remote access or your recovery phrase is running a second scam. The FTC says it will never tell you to transfer money to protect it; check anyone claiming authority through contacts you find yourself.

Before the next trip, save official bank numbers offline, turn on transaction alerts and keep a backup card in another bag, so one theft or scam cannot leave you without money.