Month: June 2018

It seems there’s a flourishing trade in fake liquor, especially bourbons and vodkas. Counterfeits are turning up in all types of places, including hotels, retail stores and even airport duty-free shops. Some of this fake booze can be downright dangerous, containing methanol, instead of ethanol, and other harmful chemicals that can result in serious illness… Continue reading Don’t Drink It! How to Avoid Fake Liquor Scams

If you’re a photo enthusiast and like to travel with a lot of gear, watch out for thieves who feel equally enthusiastic about it. They generally operate as a group of up to five or six people who rush up to you and seem to want to show you something. They hold a large card… Continue reading Watch Your Lenses

Who knew there so many ways of parting a tourist and his money?  Although we’ve written about fake hotel bookings and vacation rentals before, the scam has risen at such an alarming rate during the past couple of years, it’s worth repeating the warning.  The scam usually takes the form of someone advertising a hotel… Continue reading Fake Hotels and Rentals

GoBear also reports on the increasing use of skimmers at some hotels.  You hand over your credit card to pay a bill and, in addition to running it through the hotel card reader, the employee also passes it through a small pocket device, which reads and stores all your card information.  This may also happen… Continue reading Hotel Card Skimming

This one was reported by the consumer finance site GoBear.com. You’re settling in to your vacation hotel. Why not order room service and get into relaxation mode right now? A hotel employee delivers your order and asks you to sign a confirmation slip. But then he announces that this hotel doesn’t allow you to charge… Continue reading Double Room Service Charge