MANILA - The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Wednesday warned the public about the expected rise of travel-related scams this Holy Week and summer break.

The CICC, an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, partnered with the Department of Transportation and the advocacy group Scam Watch Pilipinas to unveil a list of travel scams to watch out for.

CICC Executive Director Usec. Alexander Ramos warned travelers to check if offers are too good to be true.

“Diyan nag-uumpisa pagiging biktima, hindi natin iniisip ang safety, basta lang maka biyahe, maka book, makahanap ng mura, akala nila yun na yun.”

(Being a scam victim starts from not thinking of one's safety. Some just want to travel, to book, find cheap [packages]. They thought that’s just it.)

These 14 travel scams are the following:

1. Fake accommodation
2. Fake wifi or public wifi that can be hacked
3. Too-good-to-be-true deals
4. “Free” vacation trap
5. Fake travel agents
6. Overpriced tours
7. Charity cons
8. Counterfeit cash
9. Hidden CCTVs
10. Fake taxi
11. Selling lost luggage online
12. Fake SIMS
13. Fixer
14. Cheap airline tickets on social media

“Pagpunta mo doon wala ka booking. Nangyari ito lately sa isang babae nagpunta Boracay. Nagbayad P105,000 para sa pamilya, pero pagdating doon walang booking,” said Art Samaniego, Co-Founder of Scam Watch Pilipinas.

(Once you arrive at your hotel, you have no booking [or reservation]. This happened to a woman who went to Boracay and already paid P105,000, but upon arrival at the hotel, she had no booking.)

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The group added that there could be other scams, especially with the rise of new technologies. They urged the public to always be wary and to doubt any messages from anonymous persons or cheap offers online.

“Nirerecognize natin napakaraming scam at araw araw may natatanggap tayo. Wala pa diyan yung hightech at pagdating ng AI,” added Jocel De Guzman, Co-Founder of Scam Watch Pilipinas.

(We recognize there are many scams and everyday we receive such complaints. That does not include yet the other hightech scams and AI.)

The CICC also warned the public they may still receive text or SMS messages asking to register their bank or e-wallets accounts. The agency said those are fake messages especially if coming from an anonymous phone number.

It urged the public to call hotline 1326 if one suspects he or she was scammed. Those traveling may also call the DOTR Commuter Hotline 09209643687 if they encounter any problems.