Are you planning a vacation to the Philippines? Then this information will be more than helpful! Philippines is one of the favorite touristic destinations in the world due in part to its natural beauty and beaches, and also due to Filipina women. Thousands of foreigners plan their vacations to the Philippines every year expecting to have a great time and meet new people. And although no one is expecting to encounter trouble, it is still very important to be one step ahead and prevent scams or any problems with your trip.  After all, the Philippines is a high risk country for fraud and scams.

The following are some tips from our investigators to protect yourself from vacation scams:

If you are travelling to meet in person with someone you have already met online, be extremely cautious. The Philippines is a country known for the high risk in internet fraud relationships. Many people travel for vacations to finally be face to face with their online girlfriend, but the truth is that they can be exposed to other very serious dangers. Before making any plans, try conducting a background check investigation in Manila to confirm that the person you are meeting is trustworthy.

Before booking a hotel or apartment, make sure it exists and in it looks just the way you expect it to be. Just like Filipina online dating scammers use stolen pictures from models to deceive their victims, vacation rental scammers post pictures of homes that do not belong to them, have never been available for rent or are not even in the Philippines. Try to get as much information as you can from the owner or agency that is renting, and use that information to verify if things match up.

There are so many travel agencies in the Philippines that it´s difficult to say “stick with a reputable one”. Globally known agencies might make you feel safer, but the truth is that these are dedicated to high end luxury tourism most of the time, and that might not be what you´re looking for. Remember verifying is part of your job, but you should get help from a local private investigator in Manila or Cebu.

Whenever paying in advance for any booking or tour, make sure the payment method used is one that guarantees safety, such as a trusted credit card. You should be able to pay through secure methods like Paypal or credit cards. If the only payment method offered is Western Union or Money Gram, you might want to restrain from the service or verify the company, because recovering your funds will be nearly impossible if you used a money wiring service.

Don´t rush things up. Planning vacations is a time consuming thing. Take as much time as you need to check the details. Read the comments, look for ratings all around the web and be skeptical. Confirm that the person you are dealing with is in fact a representative of the company you hired, verify that the travel agency exists. You should find a local and reputable private investigator for a comprehensive background check investigation to verify the facts and protect yourself.

When travelling in big groups of friends or family, make sure someone is actually taking care of all of the above, or offer yourself to do so. Sometimes when group trips are planned, everyone assumes that someone else is doing the homework.  Going on vacations to the Philippines is certainly exciting and fun, but you should be careful not to waste your money or put yourself in danger.

If you’ve recently traveled to the Philippines and met someone or need to verify an agency or individual in the Philippines, be safe and speak to a professional private investigator today.  Our investigators will review your case and provide you with a free and confidential quote.

C. Wright
© 2015 Philippine PI

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