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I’ve been contacted recently by way too many cruise passengers that have been caught out by new scams that have emerged since my last video about this topic, including one a good friend stumbled upon on his latest cruise – and one using me to scam cruisers like you! Here are the latest cruise scams to watch out for!
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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 119 cruises I have done to date.
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00:00 Start
00:40 Not Who They Seem
03:25 Avoiding Middlemen
05:55 Picture Not So Perfect
07:28 Port Excursion Issue
09:39 Ducking This Scam
10:52 How I Am Scamming You
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
I've been contacted recently by way too
0:02
many Cruise passengers that have been
0:04
caught out by new scans that have
0:06
emerged since my last video on this
0:08
topic including one a really good friend
0:11
of mine stumbled upon on his latest
0:13
cruise and one that is actually using me
0:16
to scam Cruisers like you now because
0:19
scammers are so crafty it's really easy
0:21
to fall prey in fact macuy the cyber
0:24
security company say last year almost
0:26
30% of Travelers say they fell for a
0:29
travel scam and we're out of pocket so
0:32
welcome aboard I'm Gary benridge with
0:34
the latest Cruise scams you need to
0:36
watch out for and importantly I'm going
0:38
to tell you what to do to make sure
0:40
you're not a victim cruising has taken
0:43
off Big Time demand is huge and fairs
0:45
are ramping up so of course all of us
0:48
are looking for Great Deals and fabulous
0:50
offers scammers know this and are
0:53
setting up fake travel agent sites and
0:55
pages with mouthwatering cruise office
0:58
and promoting them on social media
1:01
here's a typical example of what I've
1:03
seen happening a group of Florida
1:06
residents was scammed into paying
1:08
hundreds of dollars for a three night
1:10
Royal Caribbean vacation sing from Port
1:13
Canaveral to the Bahamas relle price and
1:17
Naisha Lambert from the group told local
1:20
media Outlets how they saw an amazing
1:22
deal on Facebook for that cruise the
1:25
fake agent had them pay a $100 deposit
1:28
via cash app and the rest of the $523
1:32
fair in installments also via cash app
1:35
they were given fake reservation numbers
1:37
but when of course they tried to check
1:38
in at the Port they were turned away
1:41
because there were no such bookings
1:43
there are a growing number of fake
1:46
Cruise agent accounts on social media
1:48
offering fabulous deals so what can you
1:50
do to avoid them while still being able
1:53
to grab a great deal from genuine agents
1:56
that you perhaps have not heard of
1:58
before now those potential Cruisers who
2:00
were scammed made three easily avoided
2:04
mistakes first of all they did not do
2:08
any research on the agent if you're
2:09
looking at office from an unfamiliar or
2:11
New To You agent or company you must
2:14
research for online reviews and look at
2:16
perhaps you know reputable review sites
2:18
like trust pilot those searches should
2:21
flag up issues secondly they pay the
2:25
fake agent via a cash Transfer app and
2:27
not with a credit card that should have
2:30
been a really big red flag real agents
2:33
should be able to take cards and credit
2:35
card companies will have done some
2:37
screening of the providers and if that
2:39
supplier is fake or fraudulent you can
2:42
get your money back from the credit card
2:44
company because they're required to do
2:46
that by various regulations and rules
2:48
thirdly the minute you get sent a
2:50
reservation code log in with it on the
2:53
cruise line site and check it is a valid
2:56
reservation as soon as you pay a deposit
2:59
you should get a book reference go and
3:01
check it because this will immediately
3:02
flag if there's something wrong plus by
3:06
the way if there's something wrong with
3:07
your booking if it's valid too now that
3:10
group scammed did not do any of those
3:12
and if they had they may not have been
3:14
left out of pocket and without a cruise
3:17
there is another online scam that you
3:18
must watch out for as this year it will
3:21
be something I expect loads of Cruisers
3:24
are going to be caught out by many of
3:26
you will know if you're traveling to or
3:28
on a cruise that caus into countries
3:30
like the United States Canada Australia
3:33
and so on you are currently required to
3:35
apply online for an e Visa such as the
3:38
USA esta the Canadian ETA and similar
3:41
ones like that before going now the UK
3:44
have launched one it's called an ETA and
3:47
the EU are also launching one called an
3:50
etias during
3:52
2025 many more Cruise passengers
3:54
including many who have never had to
3:55
apply for one before are going to have
3:58
to get them online if going to or
4:01
cruising there now the scammers know
4:03
this and are already active by launching
4:05
sites targeting those Travelers so if
4:08
you search online about applying for one
4:10
of those Evas to the UK the EU wherever
4:13
you likely find loads of sites are going
4:16
to appear in your search results now to
4:18
avoid getting scanned or ripped off make
4:20
sure you're only using the official
4:23
government one for that country so for
4:25
example look at sites that have pr.gov
4:28
in the title uh for example now the spam
4:32
sites will charge you fees on top of the
4:34
Eva fee and they do not make it any
4:37
easier or add any value at all so even
4:40
if they do actually submit your details
4:42
and get it for you they will have
4:44
harvested loads of sensitive personal
4:46
information including your passwort
4:47
details your home address your phone
4:49
number your email your date of birth
4:51
your credit card details and so on which
4:54
is going to make cloning your ID or
4:55
defrauding you rather easy now those
4:58
online EVS are simple to apply for and
5:01
get on the official site you do not need
5:03
a third party to assist you however if
5:06
you do need a full visa for example I do
5:09
for an upcoming Cruise calling into
5:10
China then it may be worth considering
5:13
using a third-party true honest Visa
5:16
specialist genuine Visa specialist can
5:18
make it easier by ensuring you have all
5:20
the required documentation any letters
5:22
you need copies of documents they
5:24
sometimes can help you with a complex
5:26
application form and they will take all
5:28
of that and your passort to the local
5:30
Embassy to get it for you so I've used a
5:32
company like cibt visas in the past
5:35
which many Cruise Lines actually
5:36
recommend for proper visas uh and even
5:39
they by the way if you go to their site
5:40
they tell you sort out your simple e
5:42
Visa yourself they don't even help you
5:44
do that once you have successfully got
5:47
on board and are cruising without being
5:49
caught out by those new scams there are
5:51
a couple of new ones that you should be
5:53
ready for once you're on board as well
5:55
unfortunately too in the past I spoke
5:57
about a series of import SC scams to be
6:00
ready for and I will link to that video
6:02
at the end of this but I want to talk
6:04
about a new one that a friend of mine
6:06
let me know about when people on his
6:08
Cruise fell for it this past summer in
6:10
Rome he was on a tour which passed a
6:14
young guy at the side of the road near
6:16
the Coliseum this guy had a display of
6:19
quite nice watercolor paintings and next
6:21
to it was a paint set suggesting he had
6:23
painted them now my friend Graham was
6:25
kind of suspicious the paint scent
6:26
basically looked brand new it looked
6:27
like it had never been used and so he
6:29
was alarm Bells kind of rang now some of
6:32
the group however they thought they were
6:34
great they bought two the pictures for
6:36
€30 that's about $30 us now later that
6:39
day Graham spotted another supposed
6:42
roadside artist selling the same
6:45
pictures also with an unused paint set
6:48
as a prop so that kind of reinforced his
6:50
concern he suspected that they were
6:52
probably prints not paintings and this
6:54
was actually confirmed when he came
6:56
across the exact same so-called
6:58
paintings in nearby souvenir shop being
7:01
sold for €3 that's about $3 each
7:04
remember if you're ever buying anything
7:07
in the street always be cautious work on
7:09
the Assumption they may not be all they
7:12
claim to be even if they're supposedly
7:15
handmade crafts I mentioned that gram
7:18
was on an Excursion when he came across
7:19
the scam that reminded me of a growing
7:22
Port Excursion scam and the one that a
7:25
couple in fact on my last cruise
7:27
actually unfortunately fell fall this
7:29
scam seemed to be an issue mostly in the
7:32
busy Caribbean and some of the
7:33
Mediterranean ports but a couple on my
7:35
recent Crews that called into ports on
7:37
the Mexican Riviera also got trapped by
7:39
this one too now in researching this
7:41
particular scam I discovered there was a
7:43
brand new article appearing on the
7:45
Points Guy site this is a large and
7:47
well-known travel advice site and they
7:50
warned also about the growth of this one
7:52
too the point Sky spoke about how
7:55
significant numbers of rather seriously
7:57
out-of-pocket Cruisers have been
7:59
contacting them coming home from
8:02
Cruisers all around the world affected
8:04
by this one so this is how it works
8:06
people at the Cruise sports often
8:08
perhaps at stands as you come off the
8:10
ship are offering a free day pass to a
8:13
beautiful resort with transfers drinks
8:15
and food included in return for simply
8:18
attending a short presentation once
8:20
there however once plying those cruises
8:23
with drinks they pull him into a travel
8:25
Club presentation It's Hard Sell with a
8:28
promise of large discounts and
8:29
everything from flights hotels amenities
8:31
and attractions you do have to pay a
8:33
rather Hefty upfront Buy in and then
8:36
there are monthly fees often for a
8:37
couple of years now caught up in the bus
8:39
and the drink loads of people sign the
8:41
contract to join the travel Club only
8:44
once back at the ship they fully realize
8:46
just how much it's going to cost them
8:48
how restrictive they can be and how
8:49
they're probably not going to save that
8:50
much as they start to soberly reflect on
8:53
it now unlike countries like the United
8:55
States and the UK the laws in those
8:57
countries do not have cooling off
8:58
periods and so that locked in often for
9:00
many years with the provide of course
9:02
having their financial details to do
9:04
those monthly charges so before
9:06
accepting a day pass for anywhere fully
9:09
understand what your obligation is in
9:10
Exchange and be extremely cautious if
9:13
you go to any of these with the
9:15
presentations refuse to sign anything on
9:17
the day and say you'll come back to them
9:19
there is no such thing as a free Resort
9:22
pass in reality now having warned you
9:24
about some rather costly scams I'd like
9:26
to share one that should not cost you
9:28
too much of your for for it but one you
9:31
absolutely need to watch out for again
9:33
it's a reminder that anything claiming
9:35
to be free likely has an actual cost to
9:38
it and this is one I hope you can duck
9:41
because it literally is a cruise duck
9:44
scam on many cruises the trend of taking
9:47
and hiding rubber ducks on board has
9:49
become quite a big thing whenever
9:52
something's popular scammers of course
9:54
move right in and I'm seeing scammers
9:56
posting on social media often in
9:58
Facebook cruise and roll call groups
10:01
pictures of stocks of ducks of all types
10:03
including some seemingly homemade
10:06
lamenting how either the cruise they
10:08
were planning to take them on has been
10:10
cancelled or they can no longer go on
10:13
their particular Cruise they then invite
10:15
people to direct message them and offer
10:17
to send the ducks in return just for the
10:20
cost of postage which does seem often
10:23
surprisingly high of course people
10:25
sending money via the requested usual
10:28
cash transfer apps never receive
10:31
anything from comments online in groups
10:34
and on sites that actually dedicated to
10:36
the cruise duck phenomenon it looks like
10:38
scammers have been very active and have
10:40
actually made a rather tidy sum from
10:42
this particular scam so make sure that
10:45
is one you duck the next scam involves
10:47
me specifically although it also affects
10:51
many other content creators recently
10:54
I've received a flurry of messages of
10:56
people asking me why I'm endorsing what
10:58
appears to be rather suspect activities
11:02
or simply whether I've given permission
11:03
for my image to be used to promote these
11:06
things they've sent me links to ads that
11:09
are running across social media and
11:11
websites which have my images which
11:13
appear to be CED from my channels social
11:15
media channels my website and I seem to
11:17
be promoting products offering Cruise
11:19
tips that then link to aggressive
11:21
affiliate linked articles currently the
11:25
main one that's running says of course
11:26
how I love to travel and I'm always
11:28
looking for great deals and so on and
11:30
then it links to an article which I
11:32
suppose written with the title unsold
11:35
Cruise cabins cost almost nothing for
11:37
seniors find out why but once you click
11:40
on it there's various articles pushing
11:42
loads of affiliate links for credit
11:44
cards various discount coupons and so on
11:48
if you don't know affiliate links pay
11:49
commission if people click and buy a
11:51
product so if you ever see me or any
11:52
other creators in an ad paid for post or
11:55
sponsored post have a look at the link
11:57
before clicking and see if it goes post
11:59
to one of our own sites or if it has in
12:01
the post upfront a declaration that it
12:04
is an ad or sponsored post before
12:06
clicking now we as creators are required
12:08
to declare such content with it's
12:10
sponsored or advertised or affiliate
12:12
links while scammers of course don't
12:14
currently think to use that to disguise
12:17
what they're doing while I don't promote
12:18
many things I do promote the cruise Maps
12:20
because I love their framed Maps
12:22
generated using satellite technology and
12:24
you will always see if I am promoting
12:26
them the hash add at the start of the
12:28
post or contains paid promotion at
12:31
within the post Itself by the way as an
12:33
decid if you ever want one of the cruise
12:35
maps amazing maps of your actual
12:36
Cruisers use the link the Cru maps.com
12:39
TFT and you will get 10% off there's
12:42
another example of me promoting I guess
12:43
I mentioned earlier that I have covered
12:45
all the main Cruise scams you must watch
12:47
out for in a previous video so why not
12:49
join me over in that video where I run
12:51
through them starting with the one that
12:52
catches more people than any other see
12:55
you over there
Hospitality Industry
Travel & Transportation
Identity Theft Protection
Travel Agencies & Services