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Top travel scams in Oceania
Fake monks in Australia
7 0How it works: A fake monk will hand you a charm, seemingly for free, then ask for a donation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw0kW6G2Hvc Places to beware: Sydney What to do: Decline. Real monks…
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Car break-ins in Australia
6 0How it works: Although Australia is not renowned for petty crime, car break-ins or smash and grabs do occur especially if you leave your valuables exposed in your car. In…
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Kangaroo essence in Australia
6 2How it works: Kangaroo essence pills are claimed to be made of the testicles and penis of kangaroos and is promoted to tourists as a product for sexual enhancement. However,…
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Event ticket scam in New Zealand
6 0How it works: Version 1: many cases of fake tickets being sold for highly popular events which tend to sell out (e.g. past concerts for Bruno Mars, Pink, etc). Version…
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Timeshare scam in Australia
6 1How it works: Situation: you may encounter timeshare salespeople at major theme parks – they will dress up to look like park staff. Opening: they approach, claim that a certain…
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Farm job scams in Australia
6 1How it works: Situation: in Australia, there are a couple of scams to look out for especially for backpackers and migrant workers seeking farm work. Variation 1 (fake job listing):…
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Car break-ins in New Zealand
5 0How it works: There have been cases of car break-ins, where parked rental cars with exposed valuables/bags were broken into. Places to beware: Queenstown Rotorua: Kuirau Park, Okere Fall Wellington:…
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Vacation apartment scams in New Zealand
3 0How it works: Version 1: fake websites with stolen property listings requesting for payment via bank transfer. Version 2: fake listing on legitimate sites. Places to beware: Anywhere What to…
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Unlicensed tour operators in New Zealand
3 0How it works: Opening: there are unlicensed tour operators which target Chinese tourists with low priced tours on Chinese apps. Set-up: once hooked, they exploit these tourists’ lack of English…
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Darwin Mindil Beach Markets hair braiding scams in Australia
3 1How it works: The hair braider will not quote a price, claiming that the price can only be determined at the end of the service. Obviously, you will be quoted…
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Discounted ticket scam in Australia
3 0How it works: Opening: this was a scam originally perpetrated on WeChat, a Chinese social media app/portal, though it has now migrated to other online platforms as it is so…
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Sob story scammers in Australia
3 0How it works: In late 2018, social media exposed a 49 year old woman who was found staking out carparks across western suburbs of Sydney with her sob story scam….
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Fake manuka honey in New Zealand
3 0How it works: Situation: Made from the nectar of the manuka bush flower, manuka honey has anti-bacterial properties which is prized by many. Unfortunately, as manuka honey began to get…
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Surfers Paradise pub crawl scams in Australia
3 0How it works: Opening: at Surfers Paradise, you may encounter touts pushing different kinds of schemes and discounted tickets. One such is a high priced wristband claimed to allow free…
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Cairns Night Markets massage scams in Australia
2 0How it works: Version 1: quoting $15 for a 45 minutes massage, but stopping after 15-30 minutes. Another trick is to leave your feet in a basin of water for…
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