Title – Are you trying to bribe me?Source – The Sunday Times
Date – 26th June 2009
The number of scams which have been developed around the world is quite incredible, you could write a book about it (I’m sure someone has) or make a television series (I know there have been several…).
It is certainly worthwhile making yourself aware of some of these before you travel, but trying to learn them all is pointless and the distrust you will subsequently show every person you meet will ruin your trip.
During
Our Workshop we try and help people get a general feel for common scams, by looking at various examples, however we concentrate on the general theory rather than trying to cover such a wide selection. In general scams fall into three categories; the ‘deception’, the ‘distraction’; and the ‘abuse of trust’.Date – 26th June 2009
The number of scams which have been developed around the world is quite incredible, you could write a book about it (I’m sure someone has) or make a television series (I know there have been several…).
It is certainly worthwhile making yourself aware of some of these before you travel, but trying to learn them all is pointless and the distrust you will subsequently show every person you meet will ruin your trip.
During
‘Deceptions’ vary from fake goods / services, overcharging, lies and pretending to be something or someone you are not.
‘Distractions’ generally revolve around taking your attention away to relieve you of your valuable; these often use more than one person.
‘Abuse of trust’ falls into two categories, people who befriend you and those who hold a position of authority and abuse it.
The key to avoiding scams is two-fold; the first is to realise that in one form or another you can’t avoid them, they are everywhere at home and abroad, so the key is to minimise the loss; the second is to take risk reduction steps and to stay alert and pay particular attention to your valuables and the behaviour of ‘new’ friends.
We have experience of some of those scams highlighted in this article and many more besides, we share these during our workshop as examples people might take a little care to avoid.
At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on Travel Health, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.
For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.
