How to avoid falling victim to a TripAdvisor scam.

TripAdvisor is a great resource to help you plan your travels and find the best restaurants, attractions, and hotels. But unfortunately it can also be used by scammers to get money from unsuspecting travellers.

What kind of TripAdvisor scams can you fall victim to?

One of the most common scams on TripAdvisor involves fake reviews. People hire services to write positive online reviews for their business or negative online reviews for their competitors. These reviews are designed to make their business look better than it really is and drive customers away from the competition.

Those paid review sites enable businesses to buy favourable reviews and post them to their TripAdvisor page. If you aren’t careful, these reviews can be convincing enough to make you think the hotel or restaurant is better than it really is.

What are the red flags in fake TripAdvisor reviews?

To avoid falling victim to a scam on TripAdvisor, look for red flags in reviews. If a business has a large number of 5-star reviews, but no 1- or 2-star negative reviews, it may be an indication that the reviews are fake. Additionally, be wary of reviews with overly flowery language or that sound too good to be true.

Be also wary of a lot of reviews in short periods of time - even if they have been written years ago. If a business suddenly receives a lot of positive reviews in short periods of time, it's possible that they have opted in for fake paid reviews.

If possible ask other travellers and browse forums to ensure that you are not falling victim to yet another fake review business. To do so you can always visit the TA staff forums and look for helpful votes to discuss the possibility of paid reviews - especially when you can't see a single negative review on the business's travel advisor's page.

Check destination forums to compare deceptive pricing practices.

Another type of scam involves deceptive pricing. Some business owners will post a low price on TripAdvisor, but when you arrive at the hotel or restaurant, they will try to charge you a much higher price. To avoid this type of scam, always double check the prices on TripAdvisor prior to booking. If a price seems too good to be true, it likely is.

If you are unsure whether this pricing is a scam, you can always visit the tripadvisor support forums to verify other travellers experiences with that business. You may also call the business yourself to verify the pricing, albeit you may find out that the business doesn't exist!

Finally, watch out for fake hotel and restaurant listings. Scammers can create fake listings on TripAdvisor to get unsuspecting travellers to book a room or reserve a table. To avoid falling victim to this type of scam, always double check the address and contact details for the business prior to booking or contacting them.

What about listings with inappropriate content?

Everyone likes to enjoy themselves on holiday, but some people actively seek adult entertainment. Unfortunately, in many countries those kinds of adult entertainment services are illegal. Therefore, scammers use fake hotels and accommodations adverts that hints at inappropriate content to convince you to visit the illegal business or make a booking. To report inappropriate content and protect other travellers, you can always flag an inappropriate listing on TripAdvisor by reaching out and contact TA staff TripAdvisor.

By being aware of the different types of scams and doing research prior to booking your vacation, you can ensure that your trip goes as smoothly as possible. Don't let scammers ruin your travel experience - use TripAdvisor safe

ly!

Beware of a potential rental scam

Another scam involves fake rental listings. Scammers will post a picture of a beautiful house or apartment at an excellent price, but once you arrive there is no such property. They'll often have an excuse ready as to why you can't stay there and they'll try to get you to pay for a different property that is far more expensive.

Always save TA page contact info in case you need to challenge a rental scam.

In fact, the tripadvisor support forum is full of potential victims that have experienced recent conversations with scammers. Fortunately the TA staff has excellent management response in terms of and excellent review query system in place.

For example, Sussanne G wrote:

Hi, I'm in Ireland. I got an email from a potential landlord who lives in Italy, claiming that TripAdvisor will act as their agent, who will arrange deposit payment and viewing of the property for him. Can you clarify if this is really a service that TripAdvisor is doing or is this a scam?

Unfortunately, this is a scam. TripAdvisor does not use any letting's agents as everything is done through their digital systems. If you feel that there is a suspicious rental listing on TripAdvisor, we recommend flagging it to the TA staff so they can investigate further.

In another post, Karem B stated that someone is offering a discounted rate for long term lettings, but is asking to conduct the transaction outside of the Tripadvisor system and requests Karem to send personal information such as a copy of a passport and existing address details; the e-mail looked like this:

I need your full name and address so you can receive your invoice as a guest from them.

Once I will receive your info I will forward them to Tripadvisor.

You will receive an invoice from them directly to your email address, where you will find their payment information's that you will use to make the deposit, 1 month rent + security deposit = 910 EUR.

After Tripadvisor will receive and confirm your deposit, an agent will bring you the keys and the contract at your exact address.

You will have 2 days to decide whether you want to rent it or not.

In case you do not want to rent the apartment for any reason you will receive a refund from Tripadvisor in 2/3 days.

In the event that you understood all terms and conditions please send me your information's and a photocopy of your ID (front,back) or Passport.

It's just another long term rental scam that's running rampant on tripadvisor website.

Of course, after contacting TA staff on tripadvisor support forums, one of the tripadvisor support members have replied:

TA staff have previously posted the following caution:

“We do not work with [...] any type of properties that require a lease […] so please do not follow through with this situation! [...] For most people, the scam has generally been offering apartments at a great deal and then has something to do with submitting a “refundable” security deposit and/or having TripAdvisor staff help with the process. This is NOT a real offer!”

Watch out for stalker cameras installed in your rental property!

Another scam to watch out for is stalker cameras installed in the rental property. Scammers will often set up hidden cameras and microphones so that they can spy on you. Make sure to check your accommodation thoroughly before booking and be aware of any suspicious objects or items in the room.

Also, consider investing in a camera detector that can help identify if someone has placed an intrusive surveillance device in your room. If you do suspect there are any type of cameras present, report it immediately to TripAdvisor staff so they can investigate further.

In conclusion, scammers are always looking for ways to trick unsuspecting travelers into giving away their money or personal information. Always take precautions when renting online.

What about a closed business that is still operating on Trip Advisor?

After Covid-19, many business have closed , including hotels and other accommodations. Scammers take advantage of this situation by creating fake listings with offers of discounted prices, and they will ask you to send money to them directly.

Even once legitimate businesses that have failed may still have a trip-advisor page, and can use their existing credibility to deceive unsuspecting tourists.

If a business is closed, it's possible that some hacker obtains the login details of such closed business to scam you. They might even use a review spammer to post fake reviews to appear as if they are still in operation.

If you come across a suspicious listing, make sure it is legitimate by double-checking the address and contact information provided. If you are unsure make sure to contact TA staff for more support and information.

Scammers will use TripAdvisor to set up phony travel agents.

They'll advertise cheap flights or vacation packages and take your money, but the tickets don't exist. Most of those phony travel agents will also have fake reviews and not provide any information to solve and contact hotel booking issues. Trip advisor staff is very vigilant in finding and removing those listings but some still get through; hence why it's so important to look at the reviews and any guidelines status to ensure you do not fall victim to a fake business or a phony destination expert.

For example, someone set up a fake business in London, Britain called The Shed at Dulwich, which has became the number one restaurant in London on Tripadvisor. It was completely fake and went undetected for almost two months. Albeit it was made as a publicity stunt from a journalist, it goes to show how easy it is to create fake restaurants and convince people to eat there. In fact, many customers went to visit tripadvisor support forums to complain about how quickly this restaurant raised to number 1 spot, having only been registered for less than 6 months. As a result, trip advisor staff have increased their review monitoring practices to prevent such fraud from repeating again.

To protect yourself from these scams, make sure to be vigilant when booking accommodation and flights through TripAdvisor. Read reviews carefully and always double-check that the business you're dealing with is legitimate before handing over any money. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is! Be safe and happy travels!