'Hot' summer with sophisticated travel scams

Fake Facebook on social networks makes users easily fall into traps when booking hotels online.

With the need to find a place to stay for a vacation with friends at Bai Dong, a popular tourist destination in Thanh Hoa , Ms. LTN, residing in Phan Dinh Phung ward, went online to book a room. The Facebook page “Motel Quy Trang - Bai Dong” that she found posted pictures of the hotel, address, specific price list and had a team of consultants who responded quickly and professionally.

Without any doubt, after being thoroughly consulted by the “staff”, Ms. LTN transferred 1,725,000 VND as a deposit to account number 000004508078 of INFINITE VN Company Limited at Vietnam Thuong Tin Bank. However, immediately after that, she received a notification of “wrong content transfer” causing the system to not confirm the booking. The person claiming to be the staff continued to ask her to transfer again, with a promise to refund the entire amount when comparing the two invoices.

With a trusting mentality, Ms. LTN continued to transfer money a second time with the same amount. However, immediately after receiving the money, the contact Facebook account immediately disappeared, all messages were blocked, and the phone number could not be connected. Only then did she realize that she had fallen into the scam trap, but it was all too late.

Not only stopping at fake booking transactions, more sophisticated scenarios are also elaborately staged under the guise of "gratitude", " tourism promotion" or "free tickets".

Many people are easily fooled by the "zero-cost travel" trick.

Ms. LTH, a resident of Phan Dinh Phung Ward, was once in a similar situation. One day, she received a call from an unknown number, the caller claimed to be a representative of a large travel company that was implementing a customer appreciation program. According to the invitation, she only needed to bring her ID card to the hotel to attend the event, without having to pay any fees.

The caller talked endlessly about the “dream” prizes for attendees: from a pair of round-trip air tickets from Da Nang to Hanoi , a 3-day, 2-night resort voucher, an onsen bath ticket at OHAYO Onsen Wyndham Phu Tho, to a skin care package at a high-end spa. The only condition that was repeatedly emphasized was… just showing up.

Alerted by unusual signs, Ms. LTH refused to participate. However, the phone number continued to call and text to bother her. Only after investigating further did she learn that many people who had participated in similar “zero-dollar travel” programs had been lured into buying goods, signing service contracts, or had their personal information collected for dubious purposes.

Such incidents are not isolated. In fact, statistics from the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention (Ministry of Public Security) show that during the peak tourist season, online fraud cases related to hotel reservations, airline ticket purchases, and receiving “customer appreciation” gifts tend to increase significantly.

The common point of these tricks is to take advantage of social networks to create fake trust. Facebook pages, Zalo or websites are designed to be eye-catching, use real images of famous hotels, post full information, even impersonate legitimate businesses to make people look up easily. All aim at the psychology of wanting fast, convenient, cheap and the lack of vigilance when transacting online. With just one click, users not only lose money but also risk having their personal information exploited for shady purposes.

Faced with the above situation, the authorities recommend that people absolutely do not transfer deposits without verifying the recipient's information. They should be especially wary of programs called "gratitude", "gift giving", "free tickets" but require the provision of personal information, citizen identification or additional payment after participating. People should keep full evidence such as conversation content, transaction information, transfer receipts to promptly report to the police when necessary.

Many victims after falling into the trap of fraud often blame themselves, saying “I didn’t think I was so gullible”. In fact, today’s high-tech criminals not only target the ignorant but also take advantage of the psychology, behavior and digital habits of all classes. Therefore, everyone needs to stay alert and practice the ability to respond to any invitation or promise, especially when it comes to money and personal data.