• On GTU this morning – A great summer vacation can include anything from adventurous outdoor activities to relaxing rambles through foreign city streets, but nothing stops pleasant plans in their tracks quite like an unexpected travel scam. To help travelers stay on track this summer, “Good Morning America” tapped expert Katy Nastro to share her top tips and recommendations of what people can do to avoid possibly getting swindled and ultimately ensure a stress-free trip from start to finish.
    • Nastro, a regular globe trotter herself with Going.com, first warned of hackers who may attempt to steal frequent flyer miles — a situation that recently happened to her. Upon returning from a trip earlier this year, Nastro checked her American Airlines account and told “GMA” that she “noticed the mileage account balance was extremely low to the point where I had to rethink and go through my last my last few trips within my app to make sure that I hadn’t used the points. But I knew I hadn’t, because it was such a large amount and I’ve been sort of saving them up for a trip over to Asia — so I contacted the airline immediately.”
    • Here are some common scams to look out for if traveling abroad:
    • “The scammer will come over and try to put a handmade bracelet on you, explaining its significance, then ask for an exorbitant amount of money after they’ve made it difficult to take off,” Nastro warned. “Or this can be used as a distraction to then pick-pocket if there are others around.”
    • “The scammer will approach hetero couples and hand a rose to the woman. They will then chastise the man for not coughing up a large sum for the rose, or flower, often insulting him and making him embarrassed enough to pay the vendor,” Nastro said.
    • “Be cautious of random people offering to take your photo, especially if alone,” Nastro said. “They sometimes will run off with your camera or phone before you’ve even setup for your shot.”
    • “An empty wallet is placed in a busy area to see who will pick it up and look around to ask who might have dropped it,” Nastro explained. “In doing so, many times, we also make sure we have our own wallet, and then the thief can make a note where this is kept to try and pickpocket you later on.” Tune in for these Hot Topics and so much more this morning on GTU.