Scams to beware of when you rent a car, or accommodation

Not all scammers operate on the internet, or by ringing you with a far-fetched story.

Some big corporations, and short-term accommodation hosts, are not above trying to gouge their customers.

Any sane person renting a car knows to take photos of the vehicle - inside and out - when picking up or dropping off.

There have been multiple reports of renters bring accused of damaging a vehicle, or not returning it at all. And then being charged large sums for their "errors".   

It happened to me once in France. Eventually the rental company found the car and apologised. 

Now there are increasing reports of Airbnb hosts trying to scam guests and/or their insurance companies.

Airbnb recently apologised to a woman after an apartment host falsely claimed she had caused thousands of pounds’ worth of damage and used images she says were digitally manipulated to back up his allegations.

The London-based academic was refunded almost £4,300, and an internal review of how the case was dealt with has been launched at the short-term accommodation rental company.

The incident highlighted how cheap and easily available artificial intelligence software is now being used to manipulate images to give false evidence of what has happened in consumer complaints, according to one security expert.

Shortly after the woman checked out, the host told Airbnb that she had caused more than £12,000 worth of damage, and submitted pictures of an apparently cracked coffee table as part of his case.

His allegations included that she had stained a mattress with urine, and damaged a robot vacuum cleaner, a sofa, a microwave, a TV and an air conditioner.

The woman denied any damage had been done to the apartment, The Guardian newspaper reported. She said she left it in good condition and had only two visitors during the seven weeks she stayed.

“My concern is for future customers who may become victims of similar fraudulent claims and do not have the means to push back so much or give into paying out of fear of escalation,” the woman says.

“Given the ease with which such images can now be AI-generated and apparently accepted by Airbnb despite investigations, it should not be so easy for a host to get away with forging evidence in this way.”

Airbnb said the host had been warned for violating its terms and told he would be removed if there was another similar report. 

It said there would be a review into how her case was handled. “We take damage claims seriously - our specialist team reviews all available evidence to reach proportionate outcomes for both parties, and to help ensure a fair approach, decisions can be appealed," it said.  

Serpil Hall, the director of economic crime at the management consultants Baringa, told The Guardian that manipulating images and videos was now “easier than ever”, and software to do so was cheap, widely available and required little skill to use.

In one recent case an insurance company found there had been an increase in false claims on vehicles and home repairs using photos that had been manipulated.

“Recently, many companies have decided images can’t be taken at face value any more [during disputes], and there is a need for forensic tools and fraud intelligence models to validate them.”

So now with car rental companies I video and photo every square inch of a car at pickup and then at drop off.

Maybe we should all do the same when we stay at Airbnb or other rental properties, where hosts have been known to claim renters did not leave the keys, or caused excessive damage.

You need to have evidence of dropping the car off, the parking spot number where you left it etc. Or time-dated images that show you left an apartment in immaculate condition and showing you have left the keys behind when you exit. 

The "missing" keys are reportedly a common scam.

The host claims you lost the keys and you get charged for new locks. Or their insurance company does.

.Also beware of demands for additional fees, deposits, local taxes, or other amounts not mentioned in the listing when you check into a short-term rental property.

Be careful out there folks.

Image: Ivan Naunov, Scop.io

Crazed passengers force flights to be diverted

It is every frequent flyer's worst nightmare: being on a flight when a nutcase goes beserk.

It has happened three times already this week. Flights disrupted and delayed by mentally unwell passengers.

An ANA flight from Tokyo to Houston, Texas, had to be diverted and make an emergency landing after a passenger tried to open one of its doors in flight.

ANA flight 114 was diverted to Seattle due to the actions of "an unruly passenger", the airline said.

Port of Seattle police said a man "attempted to open exit doors during the flight".

The unnamed man was having a medical crisis and had to be restrained by passengers and crew. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation

“We applaud the efforts of local law enforcement for their support,” ANA said.

Later, a second passenger was removed from the plane for "unruly behaviour" as it waited on the tarmac at Seattle Tacoma Airport.

The flight finally arrived in Houston about four hours late.

A Manchester-bound easyJet flight from Turkiye had to be diverted to Germany following a woman having a meltdown.

The passenger began screaming about a "bomb" and attempted to open an emergency exit.

The flight from Dalaman was forced to divert to Frankfurt after the passenger was wrestled away from the door and subdued.

She started by running up and down the cabin aisle screaming about a bomb, a passenger told the media.

“She then grabbed the emergency exit door handle cover and ripped it off. She then went for the handle but was stopped by other passengers and then taken the back of the plane.

The pilot then announced the plane would be diverted.

Flight EZY2148 eventually landed in Manchester several hours later.

To round it off, an American Airlines passenger attacked a crew member mid-flight on Friday and dragged them up the plane aisle, prosecutors allege.

His alleged act of violence occurred less than an hour after Flight 3359 departed Bradley International Airport in Hartford bound for Chicago.

Prosecutors say the passenger stood up, started removing his shirt, and ran to the back of the plane yelling 'help me'.

He then grabbed a seated flight attendant and shouted 'you’re coming with me' as he 'forcefully' brought the crew member to the ground, prosecutors allege.

The flight returned to Hartford, where the miscreant was arrested.

You would hope these maniacs are all handed lifetime bans from flying. But somehow I doubt it.

Thailand to crack down on tour scams

Just as Bali is taking a hard line on badly-behaved tourists, Thailand is ready to act on tour scammers.

"Zero dollar tours" focus largely on unsuspecting Chinese travellers and have impacted the reputation of Thailand’s tourism industry.

Tourism minister Sermsak Pongpanich said over the weekend that he has directed the Tourist Police to crack down on the price-dumping tours.

The action comes after President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, raised the matter with the Prime Minister.

Sermsak says there are a large number of unlicensed travel agencies selling cheap loss-leading packages to Thailand where guests are then forced into certain stores during tours and pressurised to buy overpriced goods.

Often, threats are used to pressure tourists to buy, Travel Mole reported. There have also been reports of physical assaults and of groups locked inside a store and only allowed out after spending.

It has been primarily a problem targeting Chinese tour groups but Sermsak says Russian and Indian groups are also being targeting more frequently.

Some tourism industry insiders say the problem is the worst it has been for years.

“This tarnishes Thailand’s image, making the country appear cheap and unsafe,” Sisdivachr said.   

Thais get spicy with aggressive and critical tourists

Thailand is generally seen as a laid-back tourism destination but Thais officials are starting to crack down on bad behaviour and, more controversially, criticism.

On the holiday island of Phuket, the governor and senior police officials will hold a meeting with the consuls of a dozen countries to discuss measures to tackle the rise in crime perpetrated by foreign tourists and expats, Travel Mole reports.

This follows the arrest of a British tourist for the alleged assault of a taxi driver that followed an argument over the taxi fare.

The taxi driver made a police complaint and the tourist, named only as Graham by police, was tracked down on the Phi Phi islands and brought back to Phuket.

He is accused of slapping the driver and grabbing him by the throat. He could potentially face jail time and be deported.

More concerning is the growing trend towards acting against anyone criticising Thailand, particularly online.

Regular readers will remember that las year an American blogger was jailed and forced to apologise for online criticism of a Thai hotel.

And now Tourist Police have warned a British tourist identified as Mr. Thomas, against posting videos criticising the country on social media, citing the potential harm to the nation's image and security, Asean Now reported.

The deputy inspector of Mae Hong Son Tourist Police, Lt. Col. Suwit Boonyaphen, said that Mr. Thomas's videos were critical of Thai public and private agencies.

Mr. Thomas was tracked down at his residence in Pai district where police urged him to understand the potential consequences of his actions. He was ordered to delete all his videos hosted on YouTube and other social media platforms and was taken to the police station to be interviewed.

He was warned that if he continues posting "potentially harmful material about Thailand" online, he could face prosecution under Thai law.

Mr Thomas has now apologized on YouTube.

Our Thai correspondent says visitors should be reminded that defamation is a criminal act in Thailand, and the truth or fair criticism are not absolute defences. So visitors should be very, very careful.

Image: Winsor Dobbin

Is Hobart City Council operating an illegal extortion scheme?

A few years ago, Hobart City Council installed a swag of new high-tech - and very expensive - parking meters (above).

A lot of Tasmanians did not like them because they were extremely complicated to use - and impossible to read if the sun was shining in the wrong direction.

After while people got used to the new meters, and complaints died down.

Then, late last year, I was hit by two parking fines within a period of a month.

On both occasions I was certain that I had gone through all the right steps - and tapped my credit card to pay.

The first time it happened, I doubted myself and paid the fine of $45.25.

The little piece of paper left on my windscreen had warned that if I didn't pay within 28 days I "could have my driver's licence or vehicle registration suspended" and my name and address could be published, "which may affect your credit rating".

Scary stuff.

The second time, wary from the first incident. I made absolutely sure I followed all the instructions.

But when I returned to my car, well within the time limit, there was another piece of paper saying I owed another $45.25 - this despite the meter having assured my payment had been processed.

This time I went straight to the council offices to make an official complaint. And to threaten to charge them with theft.

I was given the run around before being given a long form to fill in - a form so long that it would persuade all but the angriest motorist to shut up and pay up - which is, of course, exactly what it is designed to do.

I had time, however, and was not willing to let them get away it.

Lo and behold, two months later, this afternoon I received an email from Hobart City Council admitting that their meter had been at fault.

It said: "A check of the City’s records shows that a payment matching your description was attempted shortly after the vehicle’s arrival, however the transaction failed due to a communications error.

"Unfortunately, communication errors aren’t always immediately evident to the user; the payment has failed at some stage after you walked away from the parking meter, through no fault of your own.

"As a result of Council’s investigation into the circumstances surrounding this infringement, I wish to advise that the notice has now been withdrawn.

"We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your cooperation in resolving this matter."

This raises so many questions.

How many other motorists - including tourists visiting the Tasmanian capital - have parked legally and then been fined because of a "communications error" beyond their control? 

How many parking fines issued in error has the council banked because drivers just paid up rather than fill in the tedious form, or go to court?

How often do these "communications errors" occur, and how regularly does council check that meters are operating correctly?

Why does council not make a compensation payment to motorists it has wrongly accused and fined? And threated?

I am now asking the council to take another look at my previous fine - and to pay compensation for the time I have wasted trying male them aware of their faulty machinery. Wish me luck.