新加坡

Asian travellers have become the target of scammers, so it is best to be always on your guardBad news if you are Asian and planning a year-end vacation in Europe.自存倉Travel experts here say that you are especially vulnerable to tourist scams in places such as Paris, Rome and Eastern Europe.Not only do Asian faces stand out in a crowd, but they are also easy to spot because the Asian penchant for shopping means they are carrying large shopping bags full of premium labels, says Ms Jane Chang, marketing and communications manager of Chan Brothers Travel.She adds: "These identifiers make Asians easy targets but they do not necessarily make easy prey if they stay on their guard."The Travel Corporation's senior sales manager Melvin Loh says that part of the problem stems from the fact that more mainland Chinese tourists are travelling in Europe, and carrying a lot of cash to buy designer goods."All Asians may look the same to Europeans, and they may think all Asian tourists carry a lot of cash," he says.Of course, tourist scams happen outside Europe too, and Chan Brothers' Ms Chang says travellers should have their wits about them at all times."Don't stash all your valuables in one place, keep a copy of your passport in your hotel room safe - not folded within your passport - and sling cross-body pouches in front, since pick-pockets can easily slice the bottom of a pouch open and empty all its contents," she says.She advises travellers to dress down and not carry branded goods.SundayLife! highlights common tricks that unsuspecting travellers often fall prey to in six tourist hotspots.jennanid@sph.com.sgBeware the rose scamROME, ITALYThe Trevi Fountain, site of iconic scenes from movies such as Roman Holiday (1953) and Three Coins In The Fountain (1954), is also where conmen prey on unsuspecting tourists with the popular "rose scam".Mr Nicholas Lim, 39, president of travel agency Trafalgar Asia and The Travel Corporation (Asia), says that men stand around the tourist attraction holding big bunches of roses and offer them to female tourists, seemingly for free.Travel forums warn that they usually charm women with lines such as "a rose for the pretty lady".Once they hand over the flowers, they demand payment from the woman's male companion or a male member in her party. They usually ask for €1 (S$1.70) or €2. Single women may be asked to pay for the rose themselves.A Fodor's Travel forum says the scam works because the men who are asked to pay are often too embarrassed to say no.Mr Lim advises visitors to refuse the rose from the start, or hand it back when asked for money.Mr Conor Woodman, 39, host of the National Geographic Channel's Scam City - for which he travels to different cities to uncover scams - told MSN Travel the men who position themselves around the famous fountain and other tourist hotspots are called "pappagallos" or "parrots", "because they spout the same old lines" and use the beauty of the place to seduce women.Watch out also for groups of fake beggars carrying cardboard messages who surround unsuspecting tourists to pick their pockets.Tied up in stringsPARIS, FRANCEParis is a hotbed of tourist scams, and almost every traveller to the city goes home with a cautionary tale or two.Mr Timothy Su, sales and marketing manager at STA Travel, warns visitors to watch out for anyone carrying many colourful strings or threads and acts in a very friendly manner.The 32-year-old, who has encountered many of these scammers, says: "They will normally attempt to shake your hand, hold on to it and keep the conversation going. Before you know it, they have formed a bracelet on your wrist. And, of course, they will demand €5 or €10 from you for the 'purchase'."He recommends staying firm and refusing to pay for it. "And don't get too engaged in any conversation with a stranger," he advises.Another common scam in the City of Lights is the gold ring scam, says Mr Nicholas Lim, president of travel agency Trafalgar Asia and The Travel Corporation (Asia), a collection of international travel and tourism companies."A gypsy will usually ask if you speak English and he or she will proceed to show you a ring that has supposedly dropped from your pocket and demand money for helping you find it," he says.He suggests, too, not engaging anyone in conversation and staying firm about not paying for it.Social media manager Dani Salasalan, 27, witnessed the ring scam in person when she was in Paris in September last year. She was waiting for her tour bus when a female gypsy in front of her picked up a gold ring from the ground and gave it to a tourist."The gypsy woman was implying that the tourist must have dropped it on the floor. The tourist was somewhat confused and took it. Then the gypsy started asking the tourist for money in exchange for the ring," she says. "Clearly it was a scam that the poor tourist wasn't aware of. She handed the gypsy a couple of euros just so she would go away."The "petition scam" is another one widely documented in travel forums on Paris, including those run by Fodor's Travel and TripAdvisor.This usually involves a young girl who approaches tourists to sign a petition. Once they have signed it, they are told that by putting down their signature, they have agreed to give a certain amount of money towards the cause of the petition.Mr Su reminds travellers to be extra mindful when visiting popular attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, that pickpocket gangs stake out.And as in any European city, busy train stations are hunting grounds for all kinds of con artists. Some wear official-looking uniforms and after helping you with your luggage, demand a big tip.Overpriced, fake gemsBANGKOK, THAILANDEven though it is listed in many guidebooks to the city, many travellers still fall prey to the age-old "gem scam" in the Thai capital.Travel experts and forums say these scams usually involve tuk-tuk drivers and occur near the historical Grand Palace and its adjacent Wat Pho, known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.Ms Laura Hook, 27, marketing manager of travel website CheapTickets.sg, says many tuk-tuk drivers tell tourists headed for these places that the attractions are closed "so they can literally take you for a ride"."I've been told that the temples were closed for the rest of the day for the monks to pray, but that they would be able to drive me somewhere else that was open," she says.She declined the offers and found the temples swarming with tourists when she eventually got there.Had she believed the tuk-tuk driver and gone with him, she would have discovered the "gem scam" that Irish travel television host Conor Woodman, 39, experienced first-hand.Recounting this incident to MSN Travel last year, he said his driver took him to another temple, where a man suggested he buy some jewellery from a gem store while he was there. He was then driven to three other gem stores, where everyone he met seemed to make an independent recommendation about the gems.While he did not purchase anything, Mr Woodman realised later that if he had bought something, each player along the way - including the people running all the stores - woul迷你倉 have gotten a cut from the scheme.Travel forums such as TripAdvisor also warn against tuk-tuk drivers who take you to stores that sell fake or over-priced gems.Ms Hook advises travellers to always check official tourist guides for the opening times of attractions and not rely on people they might meet. "It's unlikely that tourist guides are wrong about opening hours," she says.Traveller Bryan Ng, 27, adds that the scam can happen anytime you get into a tuk-tuk."It's quite prevalent in Bangkok and has happened to me a few times. Sometimes the driver will ask you nicely if he can take you to a gem shop, but other times they will just take you there instead of your destination and drop you off without a word," says Mr Ng, who works in healthcare operations. "Just be aware of this whenever you take a tuk-tuk in the city."Driven to timesharePHUKET, THAILANDDo not let the sun, sand and sea of Thailand's southern resort island lull you into a state of complacency.Ms Laura Hook, 27, marketing manager of travel website CheapTickets.sg, warns travellers heading north to the Khao Lak area that the rides, either by a hotel shuttle or a hired driver, sometimes come with an unexpected stop."The drivers sometimes drive you round a golf and holiday home resort and stop abruptly. Then someone from the resort comes up to the vehicle and starts selling you a timeshare resort unit and the drivers get paid," she says.Her tip: "Ask the driver how long the journey is going to take before you board. It should take about one hour. If he says 21/2 hours, then you are going on the 'golf tour'."She suggests having the telephone number of your hotel handy and calling the staff there to request that they tell the driver not to take the 21/2-hour route. She adds: "Maybe tip the driver at least 100 baht (S$3.90) since he would have missed out on some additional income."Mr Nicholas Lim, president of travel agency Trafalgar Asia and The Travel Corporation (Asia), a collection of international travel and tourism companies, says an "animal scam" is also common on the island."The owner of a pet will suddenly place his animal, usually a monkey, on your shoulder for a picture opportunity and then demand cash for it," he says. They usually ask for around 200 baht. He adds: "It's best to be aware of these individuals and ignore them if they approach you."Gambling cheatsBARCELONA, SPAINThe tree-lined pedestrian mall of Las Ramblas in Barcelona is popular with tourists and thus a magnet for fraudsters too.Mr Timothy Su, 32, sales and marketing manager of STA Travel, says a common scam is a gambling game involving dice or stones under three or more cups that get moved or jumbled around."This scam is normally run by a team and not just the person moving the cups. There will be other members who pretend to be gamblers and you may win the first few rounds and get hooked before losing lots more," he says. "There is only one winner in this game and it is not you."Another danger of this scam is that when crowds gather, you may get pickpocketed."He recommends steering clear of such games and not getting involved.Mr Willin Low, 41, chef-owner of the Wild Rocket Group, was a victim of the fake policemen scam in the city two years ago. A man posing as a tourist had asked him to take a picture of him and Mr Low agreed. He followed the man to a side street where he wanted his picture taken."Then two burly men turned up and said they were from the police, flashing a card at me really fast. They said in English that they thought we were dealing in drugs," he recounts.The "policemen" approached the first man that Mr Low had been taking a picture of and asked to see his passport and wallet. They took out all of his money and counted it and sniffed it for signs of drugs."They were demonstrating to me that what they were doing was normal procedure," he says. When they asked Mr Low for his wallet as well, he reluctantly handed it over and watched them like a hawk as they counted and sniffed it.They handed him back his wallet. After the two fake cops and the original "tourist" took off, Mr Low counted his money again and found €300 (S$507) missing.His advice to travellers to Barcelona: "Don't engage with people who try to talk to you on the streets and don't follow anyone anywhere, even if it's just a few steps away. Unfortunately, my best advice is to be unfriendly."Fake hotel inspectors is also another common scam, says popular travel writer Rick Stevens on his website. Two men claiming to be hotel inspectors will knock on your door. While one man "inspects" the room, the other will slip in and steal your valuables.His advice: Call the front desk if these fake inspectors show up, and do not let people into your room if you are not expecting visitors.Check your changeEASTERN EUROPEAccording to Ms Jane Chang, marketing and communications manager for Chan Brothers Travel, travellers usually cover several countries in Eastern Europe in one trip, resulting in them getting "confused between one currency and the next".This is why counterfeit money scams are more common there. For example, she says travellers sometimes receive counterfeit money when they accept offers by locals to change foreign currency supposedly at a more favourable rate or to avoid long queues at the moneychanger.She adds: "We remind our customers to change their foreign currency, either here or abroad, at official moneychangers as they might not be familiar with the currency and its denominations."Also be careful when paying with a large bill. Shopkeepers and waiters have been known to shortchange tourists by taking advantage of the visitors' unfamiliarity with the currency.Pickpockets are also often a nuisance in the region, she says, even though travellers should keep a lookout for them all over the continent."Pickpocket syndicates may use minors, who easily escape detection. We remind our travellers to keep a close watch on their valuables and be wary of pickpockets who mill around tourist areas, squares, shopping districts or crowded trains."Mr Kenny Koh, 29, experienced a scam involving supposed law enforcement officials while in Budapest in May last year. Two men claiming to be police officers - with credentials in Hungarian that Mr Koh could not read - accused him of drug trafficking and demanded to see his wallet and passport."When they gave the passport and wallet back, they told me that the place was very dangerous and I should leave at once. After leaving, I counted my money and found €300 (S$507) gone," says the operations executive."I was in a daze for 10 minutes, and spent four hours in a police station making a report. Luckily, I got some of that money back through insurance."He also met another traveller in Ukraine who warned him about the "wallet scam", where someone walks in front of a tourist and conspicuously drops a wallet."The scammer expects the person behind him to pick it up and return it. But once you do that, he'll accuse you of stealing and a policeman will mysteriously turn up immediately and take you somewhere to settle the issue with money," says Mr Koh. "If you see someone dropping a wallet, ignore it and just walk past it."mini storage