Caribbean Cruise Line Scam Watch Presents Tourist Scams To Look Out For: Good Samaritans

Online, February 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - At Caribbean Cruise Line, we are glad to offer you this article to assist you with your travel plans this year and we hope you have a great vacation. There are a lot of great tourist destinations out there, many of which are great and many have a lot of potential scams to look out for so we hope that you avoid any travel problems that are out there and at Caribbean Cruise Line Scam Watch we are doing our part to educate tourists about potential issues. One of the most common problems to be aware of is good samaritans taking advantage of tourists and Caribbean Cruise Line wants to take a couple of minutes to discuss this with you.

While you are taking a photograph of your wife or husband in Paris, a pickpocket could be stealing your wallet or rifling through your purse.

A Good Samaritan is a person who goes out of his or her way to assist others. Often times while vacationing in foreign countries tourist hope for such a person to help show them around. However, in most instances these so-called good Samaritans end up being con artists.

Many of them will hang out around ATM machines offering to help tourists confused with a foreign system or a machine in a different language. Be aware because they are typically either trying to see how much money you are taking out of your account so they can rob you a few blocks down the road, or they have rigged the machine so that it appears to eat your card. While they are pretending to help you they are actually getting your pin number and then will come back to the machine to retrieve your card and empty your account.

Others will hang around at train stations, bus stations and airports and ask if you need assistance purchasing a ticket -- then take your money and run. You should also be wary of people at train and bus stations who offer to show you to your seat. When you get there, they will demand payment.

While driving, a car may pull up next to you and the driver will helpfully point out that you have a flat tire. While one person assists you in changing the tire, an accomplice will help himself to your pocketbook or any other valuables. Oftentimes, the people that flag you down are the people that punctured your tire to begin with.

In Spain, there's a popular scam where an older woman offers you a sprig of rosemary, as a sign of friendship. Then she'll grab your hand, read your fortune and demand payment.

How do you avoid falling victim? Don't make eye contact or accept anything that's handed to you. Purchase any tickets yourself. If you need assistance, utilize the concierge at a hotel. Never let anyone help you out at an ATM, and never give anyone your PIN.

Caribbean Cruise Line Scam watch is happy to provide this information. Here at Caribbean Cruise Line, we are committed to bringing you all the latest information and cautions about travel concerns.

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