AIRPORT SCAMS TO AVOID

1. AIRPORT SCAMS TOAVOID Let’sgetontourtoknowmoreairportscams.TheMasteroftravelogues, Paul Theroux, has said in the 1979 travel book ‘The Old Patagonian Express’thatpeopleneedtoappreciatetheprocessofthejourney,too, besides the destination. Folk seem never to be as much aware asthey oughttobe,eitherin-flightorairports.In-flight,atouristcannotforma clear view of whatever’s observable from the windows – or inside the plan,too.He’slosttoomuchinthedestinationoraffairsbackwherehe embarked from. More importantly, per Theroux, every moment in the airportexperienceoughttobesavoured,too. Bit veering slightly to the skewed nature of cams – your heightened airportconnoisseur-senseshouldpaydividendsifyouarescam-vigilant

2. as well. The thrill of skimmer-laced ATMs,distractor-scammers, compromised‘free’wifi–shystersareeversoobliging,always.Thereare possible extortionate deals foisted upon you if you rush thru without thinking. Not least important, you could get mail while in the airport– fromscammers.Airportscamstoavoidarealsoareminderthatyoucan reallynever‘getawayfromitall.Thebestcourseistoputyourvigilance mode in a drawer in your mind and pull it open as soon as cues to suspicion kickin. • Airport scams to avoid: cues for creative vigilance- stimulatingjuices • Thefollowingsortcankickinthecuestoscam-suspicion: • Loiterers; • Distractors; • Bumper; • Unsolicited ‘free’help; • Pickpocketsskulkingnearexits; • Vendorsoftheextortionatecharms; • The ‘extra’greeter; • TheairporthackerthatstingsBluetooth; • Takenforaridebybrokenmetertaxi. • The queue staller Airportscams • Notwithstanding the tightened airport security these days, ingenious scammers are using the airport security procedure.The objective: to makeawaywiththevictim’smostvaluablegoods.

3. Upon unloading your valuables in a conveyor belt tray, the latterslides offforscanning.Youareallsetforthebodyscanner,buttheguyinfront ofyouistakingaverylongtime.Heisaprocrastinator,hekeepsdiving intovariouspockets,takingoutanever-endingstreamofbaubledodds and ends. After what seems like a very long time, you are thru , onlyto findyourvaluableshavetakenahike. Youjustencounteredasecuritystaller,keepingyouengagedwhiletheir accomplicemadeawaywithyourbelongings.Itreallydoespaytokeep youreyesgluedtothebeltatalltimes. TheDistractor Someoneleadsyouawayfromyoursuitcase.Then,another‘hashisway ‘withsaidsuitcase.bythetimeyoureturntoit,thesuitcaseisminusyour money andpassport. Ithelpstohaveacopyofrelevantpassportpagesuponyourpersonat alltimes–justincase. The baggage carouselbump Atthebaggagecarousel,someonebumpsintoyou.Youthinknmoreof itwhentheysaysorry.Momentslater,youandyourwalletaregone. The suitcasehelper Someoneofferstohelpyouwithyourluggagebutthenrefusestopart with it unless you give them money first. It’s better to hire an airport porterthanaskrandomfolkforhelp.

4. Airportpickpockets Uponpickingupyourluggage,youmaybeunfocussedsearchingforexit signs, car rental desks, or wherever they are selling drinks. But, evenas you are distracted, you’re the object of riveted attention from pickpockets. Youwillcometoknowofyourlossesonlyonceit’stoolate. Keepyourvaluablesonyourperson–asinjacketsorhandbags.Askyour insurancecoverproviderifyourpolicycoversincidentslikethis. The Mobile phone airportscams Vendors rent you a mobile phone with the ‘bait’ that you get your security deposit back whenyou return the phone. They do not tell you abouttheextortionatecharges.Getyourmobilecallsmuchcheaperby researchingcompaniesbeforeyouhavelefthome. Falsegreeter Incaseyouhaveaskedyourhoteltosendyouataxi,therecouldbemore thanonepersonholdingupacardgreetingyourarrival.Youcannowbe ‘taken for aride.’ The Bluetoothsting If your handset is on ‘discoverable ‘mode, an airport hacker can pair it withyourdevice.Then,theycanstealinformationorinstallmalware. Do not forget to unselect the discoverable option on your device. Let sensitive data be safe from shysters. Use encryption software. Thereis

5. more about airport scams you should know that can save yourmoney andprivacy. The Tampered airportATM. Thescamcantakeplacesinceyouarenotmindfullyaware.Youwould bebestadvisedtobeonthelookoutforcompromisedcashmachines. Keepyoureyespeeledfortamperingsignsontheboyofthemachine. Scammerscaneasilyuseskimmingdevicestogetaholdofyourpersonal information.Ifyouespyaskimmingdeviceonthebodyofthecashpoint, be sure to let the relevant bank staff know. Barring this, there’s always the Police who would appreciate some citizens keeping their peepers open. A skimmer is a card reader masquerading as an integrated part of an ATM.Thistypeinairportscamsisintrend astravelersarenotawareof skimmingdevices.TheskimmerattachmentgathersPINcodesandcard numbers. These are then replicated onto ersatz cards. The fraud type skimmingtakesplacewhenaskimmercompromisesanATM. TheactofslidingdownyourcardintoanATMthat,unbeknownsttoyou, has a skimmer attached implies that you invariably also slide the card throughthecounterfeitreader.Thelatterscansandstoresallyourdata fromthemagneticstripe,besidescapturingyourPINfromthekeypad, thisisarguablytheworstofallpossiblecardscams.Thedatasogathered caneasilybeusedtomakeATMwithdrawals. Continue Reading………………