Your annual family vacations are a week or two away from everyday worries when you can recharge batteries and spend quality time with your loved ones.
But your break might mean a whole lot more to you – it's possibly the culmination of months spent saving hard-earned cash and choosing the perfect destination. If your family has been through a particularly tough time recently, you'll also hope it offers a cathartic chance to shelter from life's slings and arrows, take stock and emerge rested and revitalized.
Therefore, it's heartbreaking when thieves target holiday goers with pernicious plots in places where an antsy mix of anticipation and stress makes them vulnerable: the pre and post-flight periods, at airports.
Let's take a look at three airport scams and how to avoid them.
Baggage Handler Scam
The majority of airport baggage handlers are honest, upstanding citizens. However, a small yet significant minority who have sticky fingers. One way to operate is by vandalizing luggage made from a soft material which can be cut, so they can remove expensive items, with the resulting damage passed off as unintentional wear and tear.
Combat this baggage handler scam by purchasing hardside baggage from Samsonite and securing it with a robust padlock for good measure.
Carousel Pickpocket Scam
One of the airport thief's favorite areas is the baggage carousel. It's a bustling place where tired travelers are hypnotically focused on spotting their bags and making their way to the outside world. Therefore, they're less likely to notice unusual activity around them.
The classic carousel scam involves a skilled pickpocket bumping into you 'accidentally', only for you to discover later that your watch, wallet or travel documents are missing.
Your primary weapon against this strategy is to stay sharp and focused. If you need more detailed advice, reading this WikiHow article on how pickpockets work is an eye-opener that will increase your awareness.
Parking Scam
If you're traveling with your family, the most convenient way of reaching the airport is probably cruising there in your own ride.
However, bogus airport parking operators have been known to park passengers' cars in unsafe spots, use them to run illicit errands and even steal them for resale – all of which constitute nightmare scenarios for vacationers.
That being said, booking airport parking at Looking4.com for Ontario, Orlando or any other US location provides the peace of mind that comes from a fully rated and recommended service.
Now that you know how to avoid these three airport scams, you can combat criminal activities and ensure that your holiday is the excellent experience you and your family so thoroughly deserve.
Feel free to share any airport scam advice in the Comments section.
Airport Scams: How To Report Them
Warn your family and friends about these three airport scams by sharing this article on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
How To Protect Yourself More
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You'll receive periodic emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.
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