In my twenty-six years I've heard about most of these first-hand, usually from a traveller who got caught. The good news is that scams are lazy. They reuse the same few tricks, and once you know them they stop working.
In my twenty-six years in this business, I've heard about most of these scams first-hand, usually from a traveller who got caught by one and wants to spare the next person. Here's the reassuring part: scams are lazy. They reuse the same handful of tricks year after year, and the moment you recognise the trick, it stops working on you. Let me walk you through the ones that catch Malaysians most often.
Before you go: fake sites and phantom agents
The most expensive scams happen before you've packed a bag. Someone builds a website that looks exactly like a real hotel or airline, you type in your card, and the details are gone. Or a 'deal' turns up on Facebook at half the going rate, takes your deposit, and the trip never existed. Or a man calling himself an agent takes full payment for your flights and hotels and simply vanishes. I've cleaned up after all three. There are fake visa sites too, charging a fat 'service fee' for something the government does cheaply, or for free.
The fix isn't complicated. Book on official sites or through a licensed agency. Never send money to a stranger's personal account. And when a price sits well below everyone else's, treat it as a warning, not a bargain. The too-good deal is almost always the trap.
At the airport and on the road
The oldest airport trick is the driver whose meter is suddenly 'broken', who then names a fare three times what it should be. Close behind is the tout who waves you past the proper rank to his own car. Then, on the drive in, comes my least favourite: 'Ah, that hotel closed down,' or 'they've overbooked, but I know a better place.' He's never heard of your hotel. He has heard of the commission the other one pays him.
Agree the fare before you get in, or use the official taxi app. Don't let anyone talk you out of the hotel you already booked and paid for. Honestly, a transfer arranged in advance makes this whole category of nonsense disappear, which is one reason we include them.
On the street
Street scams run on distraction and on your good manners. The 'helper' who spills something on you and lifts your wallet while dabbing your shirt. The friendly soul who ties a bracelet on your wrist, then wants paying for it. The gold ring that was 'just found' on the pavement. The petition on a clipboard that's really cover for a pickpocket's hands. The charming shopkeeper steering you toward one very 'special' gem. Nastier is the fake official who wants to 'inspect' your wallet or passport.
Keep your valuables in a front pocket or a money belt. Be politely firm with gifts and help you didn't ask for; you're allowed to just say no and keep walking. And remember that a real police officer never needs to hold your cash.
Money and cards
At the ATM, give the card slot a little wobble to check for a skimmer, and cover the keypad with your free hand. When you pay by card, the machine will often offer to charge you in ringgit 'for your convenience'. Say no and choose the local currency every time; the convenience is all theirs, and the rate is poor. And count your change when the notes are unfamiliar. The quick short-change at a busy counter is one of the oldest tricks there is, and it still works.
Online while you travel
That free airport or café Wi-Fi is handy and completely unsafe for anything that matters. Don't log into your bank on it, and don't type in card numbers. Be wary too of a text or email about a 'booking change' or 'flight cancellation' that wants you to click and re-enter your payment details. Ignore the link. Go to the airline or hotel yourself, the way you normally would.
The simplest safeguard of all
You could memorise every scam on this page. Or you could take most of the risk off the table in one move, by booking through a licensed agency with a real office and a name it can't afford to spoil. When your flights, hotels and transfers are arranged and paid through people you can actually hold responsible, the fake sites and the airport touts have nothing to grab hold of. And if something does go wrong while you're away, you have a number to ring and a person on the other end who fixes it.
That, when you strip it back, is a lot of what we're for. We've spent every year since 1994 making sure a trip turns out to be exactly what the traveller paid for. No surprises, no vanishing deposits. Plan with us, and you can let your guard down for the right reasons.
