Beware of travel scams during the peak summer months.

Representatives from Dragon Sea Hotel (Sam Son City) spoke with reporters about Facebook pages impersonating the hotel to scam customers.

Since the beginning of March, many tourism service providers in the province have reported instances of customers being scammed through hotel bookings made via social media. Despite warnings, the scammers constantly change their methods, employing increasingly sophisticated tactics. Many customers, after transferring deposits, are shocked to find out upon arrival that the accommodation does not exist or has been fully booked for a long time.

Mr. Hoang Thanh Vuong, CEO of the 4-star Dragon Sea hotel chain in the Sam Son coastal tourist area (Sam Son City), said: “Since the beginning of March, we have received more than 20 calls from customers reporting being scammed out of their room reservation deposits. Most of these cases involved bookings made through fake Facebook fan pages and transferring deposits ranging from a few million to tens of millions of VND. Upon verification with us, we found no such booking information. What is worrying is that some of these fake Facebook pages have thousands of followers, some even with verified badges, making customers easily susceptible to fraud.”

According to Mr. Vuong, in response to this situation, the official Facebook fan page of "Dragon Sea Hotel," which currently has 18,000 likes and 18,000 followers, has regularly posted warnings and pointed out several fake Facebook pages to help customers identify them. Exploiting the name of large, reputable hotels like Dragon Sea to commit fraud not only harms tourists but, more seriously, directly impacts the brand of the business and the destination.

Based on information gathered from tourism service businesses, to gain the trust of tourists, scammers often target high-quality 3- to 5-star accommodations and restaurants. The FLC Sam Son Eco-tourism Resort Complex is no exception. The resort has posted similar warnings on its fan page.

According to Ms. Do Thi Thuy (Sales & Marketing Department, FLC Sam Son), “From around mid-March until now, we have recorded many cases of tourists being scammed when booking rooms through fake Facebook or Zalo accounts impersonating consultants or service providers. Some individuals even use the FLC logo, images of rooms and amenities at the resort on social media to gain the trust of tourists. However, most tourists only contact us to confirm after transferring the deposit, by which time it is too late.”

According to Ms. Thuy, "Providing tourists with information is the most effective way at the moment to minimize risks during peak tourist season. We are always ready to assist tourists in checking booking information via our hotline or official Facebook page. In addition, regularly updating warnings and sharing safe travel experiences on the Facebook page “FLC Sam Son” (currently with 31,000 likes and 34,000 followers) during peak season is also an indispensable part of our communication and customer care efforts."

Explaining why most tourists usually transfer money first and then contact the service provider to confirm, representatives from several tourism businesses said that scammers offer extremely attractive service prices, along with "flash" promotions. This is considered a psychological tactic, preying on tourists' greed. Because the summer months are peak tourist season, services are easily booked up, or promotions end quickly.

The scammers don't just target accommodation; they also aim for services like package tours, meals, tickets for attractions, or entertainment. They often use social media to advertise "cheap travel packages," accompanied by enticing offers.

According to Do Duc Manh, Director of Pu Luong Eco Garden Resort (Ba Thuoc district), “Recently, scammers created a fake fan page impersonating our resort to offer a “Pleasant Season” combo for only 990,000 VND per person for 2 days and 1 night, with many benefits ranging from accommodation to meals and other amenities. In addition, the scammers also created a bank account under the name “Resort Services Co., Ltd.” to build trust with customers. Worryingly, the scammers meticulously researched our information, customer service methods, and booking procedures. Therefore, even some customers who had booked services before could be deceived.”

To help prevent fraud during peak tourist season, one solution proposed by businesses is to compile and gather verified information on hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies in the province, including links to hotels, restaurants, and travel companies, on the website of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism “svhttdl.thanhhoa.gov.vn”, the provincial tourism website “dulichthanhhoa.org”, and the Facebook fanpage “Thanh Hoa Tourism - Four Seasons' Flavors”. Based on this, businesses can proactively update promotional programs and travel packages regularly, and publicly disclose booking procedures so that tourists can understand and verify information before making a decision.

It is clear that the prevalence of fraud during peak tourist season is a real "test" for service businesses in terms of their ability to flexibly handle problems and enhance brand recognition. It also poses a challenge for state management agencies and law enforcement in implementing solutions to build a safe and civilized tourism environment. Above all, this serves as a reminder that, despite the advancement of technology and increasingly sophisticated fraudulent practices, the human element – the honesty of sellers and the vigilance and discernment of customers – remains the most important factor in building a healthy tourism environment.

Text and photos: Hoai Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/can-trong-truoc-cac-chieu-tro-lua-dao-du-lich-trong-nhung-thang-cao-diem-he-249709.htm