How the scam works:
You are starting your all-inclusive trip in, say, Cancun - Mexico. Your plane just landed and you are happy the hotel you’re staying at has a shuttle available.
As you come out of Terminal 3, you find out from an airport employee that your shuttle is at Terminal 2 which, he says, is a long way away, about a 20 minute walk. Being a nice guy, he offers to call the shuttle for you , just to inform them that you might be late.
You give him the number, he calls, and it turns out that your shuttle is not going to be on time, either! The driver explains that there has been an accident on the way and he is stuck in traffic, very far away. However, he informs you that – because of the inconvenience caused - you can get a taxi and you will be refunded at the hotel.
Sounds good, you might think, and ask the helpful airport employee to get you a legitimate taxi. He makes another call and has a taxi for you in no time. You tip him a dollar and off you go.
In reality, he is the scammer in this whole thing: he lied to you about Terminal 2 being 20 minutes away, asked for the shuttle phone number but called a different one, had a fake conversation about the highway accident and the shuttle being late – not to mention his suggestion of getting a taxi and getting a refund.
The shuttle was always at Terminal 2, while you are taking his partner’s taxi, which will overcharge you. And you’ll never see your refund.
How to avoid:
If you know the shuttle is at Terminal 2, go to Terminal 2 - it’s not 20 minutes away, Cancun airport (or any other exotic one) is not Heathrow.
Alternatively, if you are about to travel soon, do your homework before and use only trustworthy companies for everything you get involved in. Feel free to check the list of some recommended services below, for your other various travel needs (airfare, hotels, car rentals, luggage, etc):
Its interactive map tool is a great way to access a wider selection of airlines, routes and fares. Vayama provides more flight choices to select from, so you can find the lowest prices and best schedules. You can access it HERE.
Airfare.com offers up to 70% off published airfares on major airlines world wide as well as discounted hotel stays. Worth checking it out. Visit their website HERE.
It offers the best collection of quality luggage, business cases, and travel accessories on the web. Low price guarantee, free shipping, free returns, and award-winning customer service. Visit their website HERE.
Best of New York and Best of Vegas
Just in case you travel to the Big Apple or the City of Sin, these two services have the best offers and most competitive rates on show tickets including Broadway and Off-Broadway, the Strip, tours, and attractions, and more. Visit their websites by clicking on their names above.
ARC was created to provide one-stop car rental reservation service for all travelers' rental car needs including; round-trip rental cars, one-way rental cars, airport rental cars & off-airport rental cars. International service, discounts available from all top rental companies. You can visit their page HERE.
GetaRoom specializes in great values for leisure travelers including families, small groups, sports and adventure travelers and those who want more space. They have a large offering of hotels and vacation rental properties including hotels, condominiums, time share resorts, condo hotels, suites and more. Visit them HERE.
DRH.com is a leading online travel distributor specializing in discounted hotel bookings worldwide. It enables travel consumers to book deeply discounted accommodations worldwide and covers over 15,000 cities. Visit their website HERE.
Depeding on where you are from and where you are traveling, the website it offers great hotel deals, airfares, and even packages. You can visit them HERE.
OneTravel is a travel website offering flights, hotels, car rentals and vacation packages to top destinations around the world. It has signed up with major airlines, hotels and car rental companies around the world, their portfolio of products containing flight deals and 84,000 discount hotel rates. Visit their website HERE.
HomeAway is the world’s leading online marketplace of vacation rentals, with sites representing approximately 700,000 paid vacation rental home listings in 168 countries. They offer an extensive selection of vacation homes for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. Visit their website HERE.
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