As a traveler, you might think that you are smart enough to an extent that you can easily avoid airport scams when traveling to Charlotte. Unfortunately, even the smartest travelers can be scammed.
Just like a lion waiting to attack its prey in a national park, thieves try as much as they can to blend into the surroundings before attacking their next victim with sneaky airport scams. Fortunately, travelers can outsmart them by understanding the Charlotte Airport surroundings.
Even though thieves take risks when attacking you, they make sure that they have calculated those risks well. Knowing the sneaky airport scams when traveling to Charlotte can help you. Here are some of them;
Changing Money
This scam happens everywhere in the world, not just in Charlotte, and is one of the most common taxi scams. For instance, you might take a taxi from the Charlotte Airport to your hotel room. After making payment in cash, the taxi driver gives you less change than what they are supposed to give you.
This can also happen in shops or other outlets at the airport and around Charlotte. They can even switch a one hundred note with a smaller valued note and then tell you that you did not give them enough money.
You might even approach a foreign exchange bureau to change your money. While at it, the attendant switches some notes. At the end of it, you realize that you have less money than you are supposed to have.
The best way to avoid these scams is to make sure that you know the total amount of money you have and are supposed to have after every transaction. In addition, take time counting your money and do not let anyone rush you.
The Sauce Scam
The sauce scam is used by thieves to try and make you focus on other things instead of your valuables. As described by iFly, the Charlotte Douglas Airport, a civil-military airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of the busiest airports in the United States of America.
This means that you will find all sorts of people here. Some of these people are not traveling but looking for a way to illegally make some money. You might notice someone squirting or spilling some sauce on you.
They then offer to help you clean the sauce. While at it, they might take your valuables away. If not, they have an accomplice who helps them achieve their goal. You need to always be attentive to your valuables all the time.
Fake Police
Again, this is a common scam not just in Charlotte but also around the world. In Charlotte, they might target travelers who look new to the city, especially at the airport where they can easily identify new travelers.
They operate by asking travelers for their IDs or even passports. They then issue you with a fine without any reason and tell you that you can pay the fine on the spot. They might even ask you for a bribe before giving you back your ID.
Since you are new in Charlotte, you might want to avoid landing yourself into trouble and pay them whatever they need. These con people might be uniformed or plain clothed. To avoid this scam, make sure that you never hand over your ID to anyone. Additionally, be aware of fake police officers.
Ticket Scams
Your journey to Charlotte has been successful without any incidents. After doing everything at the airport without any problems, you decide to get a bus to take you to wherever you will be staying.
Arriving at the bus terminal, someone comes to you telling you that they are selling bus tickets at a discounted rate. They might even tell you that with their tickets, you will be jumping the ticket queue.
Since you want to save some money and time, you fall for the deal. When your bus arrives and you board, you are told that your ticket is fake, and therefore invalid.
You cannot see the seller. Even when planning for a one-day trip around the city, you need to be careful to avoid being scammed with bus or train tickets. Always make sure that you are buying your tickets from the right places.
In conclusion, do not trust just anyone you meet at the airport when traveling to Charlotte. People might seem friendly and offer to help you when facing challenges, but some of them might not have a clear motive. Knowing these scams is important in helping you stay safe at all times.
