Community Magazine January 2017

TEVET 5777 JANUARY 2017 33 of the journey could then be resold to another customer, and then another customer, as the algorithm of the website endlessly sold off the same stopover seats, as programmed. As shady as it sounds, companies like these dodge the legal bullet by providing just enough full tickets to look legitimate, and few enough “errors” tomake it look like a blunder. Then they simply hope that the number of customers who fall for the scam far outnumber those who report it. The truth of the matter is, any place of business can hoodwink a customer, and hotels are no different. According to an Economist article from June 17, 2016, online reviews of hotels are “rarely honest.” The article urges readers to ask: “Is the person writing the review who he says he is, and not the owner of the hotel boosting its rating?” Keep in mind, any business – and that includes hotels and airlines – can boost their profiles by paying to be at the top of Google searches. They can also pay bloggers to insert glowing reviews of their establishments. Finally, companies can pay aggregator sites – websites dedicated to listing accommodations, among other amenities – to place them on the top end of their list, or at least within the first few clicks. Those with little time, patience or motivation will be quick to jump to the links that first catch their eye. Remember, an aggregator site may not necessarily be run by a kind-hearted soul with time on their hands, eager to tell you about some of the wonderful hotels in their city. Rather, it may simply be an advertorial site, where all content is approved and fine-tuned by the company paying for it. Watch out for shady discount coupons, too. The naïve tourist, believing they’ve scored a deal, might visit the place of business only to find out there are invisible asterisks to the “special.” Whether the coupon is handed out on a street corner, or found in a newspaper, magazine or tourist brochure, it’s best to call the company to find out what the “catch” is, before giving them your business. One anonymous hotelier conceded that there is hidden fine print underneath a discount coupon of ten percent that was placed in a regularly published tourist guide of Los Angeles. The vaguely worded “based on availability,” written in tiny lettering at the bottom of the ad, is rarely seen by excited customers. And if it is seen, it’s misunderstood or inadvertently forgotten. The phrase basically means that the concierge can choose at his own discretion when to grant the discount (i.e.: almost never). Though they’ve been hoodwinked, once the tourists are at the door, luggage in tow, after a long drive or long flight, they invariably shrug, too fatigued to go elsewhere. Instead, they cut their losses and check in. Few indulge in any quibble over the twenty dollars they may have saved – just as the hotel had counted on. Investigative journalist Conor Woodman is no stranger to scams – he’s seen these and much worse take place. Recently, he spent five months in ten major cities, going undercover to film scam artists for National Geographic Channel’s Scam City show. With hidden cameras, he caught garden-variety street criminals redhanded, storeproprietors trying to pull a fast one, and a myriad of other cheats. His findings cement one of the obvious, but oft forgotten rules for a tourist: Hold your purse tight to your body, or tuck your wallet deep into your front pocket, to minimize theft. Don’t, for one second, take your eyes off of your belongings. Looking for a guided tour of your destination city? Best to leave it to the experts, and not be taken in by someone advertising himself on a street sign, no matter how professional it looks. As Woodman notes, in Rome, many of the tour operators overcharge ridiculously, and fake their way through a “history” lesson that Google could have done better. A similar scam happens in Israel, where the tour guide, usually a local Arab, will tell the tourist a certain (otherwise reasonable) price for a walking tour. At the end of the tour, the guide will insist that the tourist pony up a “tip” that’s usually much larger than the initially agreed-upon tour fee – to take back the otherwise lost tourist back to where they started. Like tour guides, cab drivers have their own way of stealing from tourists. In his documentary series, Woodman showed a Rio de Janeiro taxi driver using a quick-switch slight of hand to try to convince the passenger that they paid a smaller currency denomination, and still owed more for the ride. According to the driver – who later fessed up when caught by the hidden camera – nine out of ten dumbfounded passengers fall for the trick, believing they inadvertently gave the cab driver the wrong bill. Of course, this trick isn’t confined to Rio. Tourists should always count their change, and examine it carefully to make sure that it matches the amount they are due back, to avoid any counterfeit schemes. And finally, there’s the scam that happens when you’re not even around, while you’re 25,000 feet up in the air or while you’re checking into your hotel room. It happens because criminals have been tipped off that you’reon vacation for a long periodof time. They see anempty, car-less driveway, piled up newspapers on the porch, an uncut lawn, a stacked mailbox, and house lights turned off. Safeguard yourself by making sure these items aren’t overlooked. Have a friend or relative visit your home each day to deter break-ins. Because even though you may enjoy an incident-free vacation in which you build a lifetime of memories, you do not want to return home regretting the trip.