How to recognize voucher and travel service scams.

When airline tickets, hotels, and tours are sold at cheap prices, and the payment receipts lack official stamps, tourists may suspect a scam.

In early April, Ms. Thu Hien ( Hanoi ) received an advertisement for a "5-star Ambassador cruise and hotel combo in Ha Long Bay for 3 days and 2 nights for 2 million VND per person." After receiving the consultation, she transferred a 50% deposit for 4 people (4 million VND) to reserve a spot from April 15th to 17th. Immediately after the successful transfer, the agency blocked Ms. Hien on Facebook, while still responding to other applicants.

According to VnExpress , similar scams are quite common during holidays, Tet (Lunar New Year), or the summer – times when many people travel . These tactics are not new, but gullibility and a lack of knowledge make customers easily fall into the trap.

The standard price for a one-night stay on the Ambassador cruise ship is approximately 3.8 million VND per person. Photo: Tu Nguyen.

Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of Best Price, said that scams not only target cruises but also many other services such as airline tickets, hotel rooms, and tours. These cases often share a common feature: attractive prices to entice customers to make transactions. In addition, there are other distinguishing signs.

In Ms. Hien's case, anyone in the profession would find the price unusual . Two million dong per person for a two-night stay on a five-star cruise ship "is impossible." Currently, the cheapest nightly price for similar services ranges from 2.5 million dong to nearly 4 million dong per person. Not to mention, the cruise ship being advertised is currently among the most expensive in Ha Long.

According to a survey at the recent Vietnam International Tourism Fair (VITM 2023), a one-night cruise costs approximately 3.8 million VND per person. Some agencies selling day trips also charge around 1.3 million VND (after a 200,000 VND discount). "If you take the time to investigate, you can tell at a glance whether it's a scam or not," Mr. Tu emphasized.

The absence of a red stamp on the payment receipt is also something to note. Furthermore, the images of the vouchers sent to customers don't clearly show whether they are genuine. Mr. Tú advises tourists who see similar posts and want to make a transaction to call the voucher provider – in this case, Ambassador Cruises – to verify the voucher.

The payment receipt lacks a red stamp. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

In some cases, scammers may even create fake websites of travel companies to increase their credibility. Ms. Dinh Thi Thu Thao, Business Director of Mustgo Travel, said that tourists can distinguish fake websites by looking at the website name and domain name . Typically, fake websites will try to imitate the real website name but will add or omit some characters. In addition, the domain name is often long and uses unusual characters.

At the bottom of a standard website, there's usually a section that says "Registered with the Ministry of Industry and Trade " or "Notified to the Ministry of Industry and Trade". Clicking on this will redirect customers to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's e-commerce management system. Essentially, legitimate and reputable businesses need to complete this procedure to register their copyrights with the Ministry. Scammers can also obtain these documents if they invest the time, but "the crucial factor is whether you have a fraudulent intention during your operation."

Scams take many forms and are sure to flourish during peak tourist season. Therefore, Ms. Thao advises tourists to constantly update and compare prices before deciding to spend money.

"The main focus remains on low prices to attract tourists. If you see prices that are 30-50% cheaper than the market average, you should be suspicious instead of 'paying out of fear of missing out'," Ms. Thao said.

Vnexpress.net

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