Aussie’s warning to fellow tourists after scam

A 24-year-old Aussie man has revealed the “annoying” and “typical” tourist scam he fell victim to while travelling throughout South-East Asia.

Aussie man’s warning to fellow travellers after falling for ‘typical’ tourist scam. Picture: Supplied

Aussies have wasted no time heading overseas this year, and while it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement, travellers have been warned to be mindful of scams.

Blair Ryan, 24, from Sydney, was two weeks into his month-long trip travelling around Vietnam with a group of friends, when he fell victim to a “typical tourist scam”.

Locals had approached him saying he wasn’t allowed to ride his hired scooter any further down a beach in Hoi An, claiming it was banned.

They told the young Aussie they would look after the bike for him, but on his return the locals demanded money — and would not give the bike back until he paid the amount.

“We decided to ride to the beach to get lunch and go for a swim,” Blair told news.com.au. “When we were about 200 meters from the beach, we were stopped by a man who said bikes were not able to be taken past that point.

Blair, 24, was travelling through Vietnam when he fell victim to a ‘typical tourist scam’. Picture: Supplied

“He said it was regulation to leave the bikes at that point, and that we could collect them on the way back.

“As we were a big group of people, we didn’t really mind or think too much about it, plus there were lots of bikes around.”

But when they returned, the group noticed lots of people were still riding bikes around.

“They definitely were allowed,” Blair said.

The 24-year-old said when they approached the man to get their bikes back, he asked for about $3 million Vietnamese Dong in total — around $A190.

“Everyone from the group chipped in, and someone in our group handed the man a stack of notes to count out the amount,” Blair said.

“We were all in a massive rush to get home as we had another flight that night, and didn’t notice that the man had not given us the right change back and taken more money than originally agreed upon.”

Blair said he’d never heard anything like this happening, otherwise he would have been more aware and have questioned the situation.

He and a group of friends were at a beach in Hoi An when a local told them they couldn’t ride their scooters down any further. Picture: Supplied

He said while it wasn’t much – the incident left him “annoyed”.

“Nothing has ever happened like this before, so it was quite a foreign feeling,” he said.

He warned fellow Aussies to be more aware, particularly with pent up travel this year,

“Definitely to proceed with caution, and don’t go along with everything you are told,” Blair advised.

“But also, if you feel unsafe in a situation it’s best to weigh up the pros and cons to paying money if your safety is at risk.”

According to new research conducted by CommBank, 18-29 year olds are twice as likely than 50-59 year olds to be targeted by a travel scam, and over three times more likely than 60-74 year olds.

The local advised Blair (pictured) and his friends to leave the bikes with him. But after they returned from lunch and a swim, the man demanded money, or no bikes back. Picture: Supplied

Cover-More Australia’s assist’s intelligence and security lead, Paul Trotter, said unfortunately tourist scams are all too common across the world.

“Criminals often try to make a quick dollar off ‘easy targets’ like travellers, because they are generally unfamiliar with the area they’re visiting,” he said.

According to the Aussie insurance company, the top tourist scam is when someone approaches you under the guise of being a friendly local, and offers to help you with directions, recommendations for restaurants and attractions — or to show you around town.

“It can often be tricky to determine if your interactions with a local is genuine or a tourist scam. If you’re approached by someone who seems to be friendly, be sure to keep your guard up, ensure your belongings are secure, and don’t let them get too close,” Mr Trotter warned.

“If you do catch someone trying to steal from you, it’s best to draw attention to yourself – and them.

Blair warned fellow Aussies to do their research about local scams in the areas they visiting and to be diligent. Picture: Supplied

“Loudly ask what they are doing or make an exclamation and they will often retreat quickly. That said, if the person appears like they may harm you it’s best to comply. No belongings are worth risking your safety.”

Meanwhile, Aussies in Bali have warned fellow Aussies to be mindful of a “coin scam”.

A woman explained a known family, not local to Bali, goes around asking Australians if they can look at their money in an attempt to steal their wallets.

“The guy came up to us and asked if we knew of a good Italian restaurant to go to and I was trying to think of the one near our hotel,” the woman wrote in a popular Facebook group dedicated to Bali.

“He said ‘are you not Indonesian?’ (we look far from it) and I said ‘No Australian’ he then shook our hands and said ‘Do you have an Australian dollar coin’ he could look at.

“I said ‘We aren’t showing you our money mate we have heard about your scam’.

“Well they took off like a bat out of hell. Thank goodness for ‘Bali Bogans’ pre warning us.” Todd Nelson, managing director of Cover-More Australia, said it was essential Aussies learn about common tourist scams ahead of their trips.

“This will help ensure you can recognise a scam if – or when – a scammer approaches you on holiday,” he told news.com.au.

He said while violent crime in Bali was low, tourists can be attractive targets for petty crimes like pickpocketing and snatch-and-grab thefts in urban areas.

In 2021, Australians lost $2 billion to scams as reported to Scamwatch, ReportCyber, 12 financial institutions and government agencies, CommBank’s scam and safety report showed.