Travel comes with numerous risks that you need to be aware of from the initial stages of your planning. Customer Experience Leader at Flight Centre South Africa, Lynette Machiri, shared with The South African some warnings to travellers over the festive season.
The travel expert also shared important red flags travellers should always look out for. This is to help ensure smooth planning and could even possibly save travellers their hard-earned money. There is also a new fake holiday rental listing scam to beware of, especially with financial crime on the rise. Here’s all that you need to know.
‘SILLY SEASON WARNINGS’ FOR TRAVELLERS
Lynette Machiri issued a few warnings to protect the travellers’ information and prevent possible fraud. She explained:
“As we approach the busy festive season, travellers are increasingly at risk, with criminals cloning bank cards – they might use your card. Protect your personal information [by being] cautious when sharing personal details, especially on unsecured platforms.”
This is what she had to say regarding communication during the planning process of your travel. She said email changes and errors in them are serious red flags. Machiri warned:
“Always double-check the email address when communicating with your agent. Fraudsters sometimes use subtly altered versions or suddenly when payment is due (even though you were previously communicating with a legitimate travel agent), the email address will suddenly change slightly if it’s been intercepted.
“Be wary of emails that contain poor grammar, spelling mistakes or inconsistent English. This is a significant red flag that suggests the email may not be from a legitimate source.”
OTHER RED FLAGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
Machiri also said phoning the travel agent for confirmation before making any payment. Always be wary when you are pressured to pay the full amount for your trip upfront, this is especially if the deal seems far cheaper than what’s available elsewhere. For more payment tips she said:
“Ensure that the bank account details you are paying into are correct and verified. Most banks charge a small fee (usually a few Rands) to verify bank account details – this is well worth it. After verifying, call the travel agent to confirm you have the correct details.”
WARNING ABOUT FAKE HOLIDAY RENTAL LISTINGS
The listing of fake properties is also an issue. The CEO of the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA), Otto de Vries, warned about the rise in this type of scam.
“Recently, we’ve noticed an increase in fake holiday rental listings. With the rise of AI technology, scammers are becoming more sophisticated, creating convincing fake websites and even using AI-generated images to advertise properties that don’t exist.”
ALWAYS USE AN ASATA-ACCREDITED TRAVEL AGENT
Machiri reiterated the importance of using a travel agent that is ASATA accredited. The South African reported on how this can prevent you being a victim of holiday scams.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PERSONAL TIPS YOU CAN SHARE WITH TRAVELLERS?
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