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From online booking
Despite numerous warnings, many locals and tourists still fall victim to increasingly sophisticated scams. Recently, a tourist shared their experience of being scammed out of a large sum of money when booking a room online. The tourist recounted: “I booked a room through the fan page of a hotel in Da Lat . Seeing the verified fan page with many followers, I didn't suspect anything. After transferring the money, I received a message saying the room couldn't be assigned because it was already occupied by another guest and that a refund would be given. However, the scammer instructed me to install VN PAY to receive the money. Trusting them, I followed the instructions and was scammed out of 10 million VND.”
In Hue, tourism scams, especially online ones, still occur. Ms. Le Thi Da Lam, Business Development Director of Vedana Lagoon Resort & Spa, expressed her concern: “The rights of our customers are a top priority for businesses. Scammers often take advantage of peak seasons before holidays to launch fraudulent schemes. On our Vedana Lagoon Resort & Spa fanpage, we continuously post warnings about fake fanpages, but many tourists have fallen victim to scams because the information, images, and logos are too similar to our official fanpage. Some fraudulent fanpages even have verified badges. Although our team reports these fake accounts to Facebook, they are often deleted only to be replaced by dozens of other fake accounts. Therefore, we constantly advise our customers to be cautious.”
Numerous scams emerge during peak tourist seasons, including the period leading up to the Lunar New Year. The most common scams involve impersonating sellers of cheap tour packages, airline tickets, or hotel bookings online. Scammers advertise cheap airline tickets, tours, and accommodations, requiring customers to make a deposit or transfer money in advance. They also proactively send messages offering "special Lunar New Year" room deals, "urgent reservations," or "only a few rooms left," urging customers to make a deposit early to secure a room. After receiving the money, the scammers block communication, delete accounts, and steal the entire amount.
Come to liquidate the tour
Recently, the Vietnam National Tourism Administration also issued a warning about another scam campaign called ClickFix. This scam directly targets hotels, homestays, resorts, and other accommodation establishments. The main attack method involves impersonating emails from popular online booking platforms such as Booking.com and Expedia, with familiar subject lines like "booking confirmation," "customer complaint," "payment update," or "cancel booking."
Phishing emails often include links or files disguised as invoices or booking confirmations that contain malware. Simply clicking on the link or opening the file can activate the malware, allowing hackers to take control of the device, steal data, and infiltrate the accommodation facility's internal systems.
Currently, another fairly common scam involves impersonating tourists who have booked tours with reputable travel companies, then posting information about "urgent tour liquidation" at very low prices. To build trust and lure victims, these scammers often include fake invoices, images, and testimonials. Initially, small transactions go smoothly, but when victims transfer money for larger packages, the scammers immediately embezzle the funds and disappear.
Given the risk of online scams on social media, security experts advise accommodation establishments and travelers to be more vigilant, carefully checking email addresses and avoiding opening links or attachments from unknown sources. Accessing booking platforms should be done directly through the official app or website. Accommodation establishments should also implement email monitoring, antivirus software, and advanced anti-malware solutions, as default protection tools only provide basic defenses and are insufficient to combat modern malware capable of long-term concealment.
According to the Department of Tourism, the National Tourism Administration and the Department of Tourism regularly issue warnings about the risk of tourism fraud, especially during peak seasons, holidays, and Tet (Lunar New Year). When choosing tourism services, tourists need to carefully research the information of the service provider, prioritizing reputable travel agencies with clear operating licenses; and be wary of electronic invoices and payment documents that show signs of irregularities or are sent from personal email addresses. For any information that is still in doubt, tourists should proactively verify the information through the local tourism hotline (phone number: 0234.3828288), or through the publicly available information channels of the businesses.
Authorities also advise residents and tourists not to install applications from unknown sources on devices linked to bank accounts; not to publicly disclose personal information, not to scan QR codes or access unverified links; and absolutely not to provide account information, passwords, OTP codes, or CVV codes to any organization or individual. In the unfortunate event of being scammed, residents and tourists should quickly report it to the nearest police station for prompt assistance, guidance, and processing according to regulations.
Source: https://huengaynay.vn/du-lich/can-trong-truc-chieu-tro-lua-dao-tinh-vi-du-lich-dip-tet-162115.html
