Ministry warns against common scams as peak tourism season begins

The most common trick is to offer cheap tour and hotel packages and attractive promotions, persuade travelers to deposit 30-50% upfront and then vanish with the money, it said.

A second scam involves visa brokerage services with advertisements on social media promising to help tourists secure visas and refund the money in case of failure.

After a victim transfers the money, the scammers use the pretext that some information was not provided and refuse to return the money.

A third trick is to create fake websites and fanpages of reputed travel companies with fake receipts and invoices to lure prey.

When victims transfer money, they cut off all contacts and remove all traces.

The fourth involves taking over Facebook accounts and impersonating their owners to contact their relatives and say they are stuck abroad and need money.

The final scam involves impersonating an airline ticket agent and offering cheap tickets. When a victim gets in touch, the scammers send fake booking codes to create trust and entice payments.