September 26, 2025 • 10 mins
Mike Yardley is a seasoned traveller.
He’s been all around the globe, experiencing nearly everything you can imagine, and as a result, is quite familiar with scams and swindlers.
He joined Jack Tame to delve into a couple of the most common scams affecting travellers – plus tips on keeping yourself safe from theft.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
At be Mike Yardy is our travel correspondent. This morning,
he's focusing on travel scams and swindles, because as much
as you might be enjoying traveling the world, nothing will
take the fun out of your holiday like getting ripped
off by a scammer. Good morning, Mike.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Good morning Jack. Yes, that's exactly that in terms of, like,
you know, you've saved up for a hard earned holiday
and you don't want to have that shine taken off
the experience. So yeah, you do not want to lead
your guard down. There are a lot of bad bikers
out there.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
My brother has just been going on holiday in Europe
nice for some and he had flown out and was
on the plane and then texted us. Upon arrival, he
got a call from his bank saying we've had some
weird transactions and he was like, what do you mean
some weird transactions and they said, well, you know, we've
had some transactions and you know, in Nigeria and somewhere
(01:05):
else on you carda a bit surprised and he said, oh,
that's that's strange, and they said, look, can you just
get out your credit card and make sure. And he went.
He looked in his bag and his credit card have
been gone pinched out of his backpack and the overhead locker.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
So there you go. Man.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
There you gotta be very careful. And I mean that's
just the old school, right, like pinching your cards, the
old school, you know, not particularly technical. But this is
the digital age, and I would have thought that, you know,
stuff like fake booking sites AI scams are increasingly catching travelers,
are they.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yes, well, I was thinking of you, Jack in terms
of you know, fake product endorsements, exploiting the likes of you,
same sort of concept where through the power of AI,
so many booking sites are being created that are essentially
cloning legitimate websites. They look almost identical, and this could
(01:59):
be like flights, activities, accommodation platforms. So you really do
need to be extra careful that you are dealing with
a reputable company and the real deal. One of the
big giveaways is a web page that is designed to
take payments should always start with HTTPS if it says
(02:24):
http red flag burg red flag.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, yeah, that's a very good point. What about public
Wi Fi networks?
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Interesting isn't it, Because I have repeatedly over the years
used airport, public Wi Fi, hotel Wi Fi, cafe Wi Fi,
and you are putting yourself at greater risk of being
snared by an opportunist scammer. Particularly they'll be after intercepting
(02:54):
your data, stealing passwords, accounts, numbers, and stalling malware. A
lot of people, of course will use a good VPN
for protection because that encrypt your connection. But if you
are using public Wi Fi, I would strongly suggest you
restrict your usage to surfing the net, do not use
(03:17):
any sensitive apps. Definitely nothing in the way of online
banking when using public Wi Fi.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
That's my role. I just don't any big transaction or stuff.
I don't do it on public Wi Fi just and
sometimes even if I'm traveling in New Zealand, I make
an effort to you know, if I'm using public Wi
Fi and I'm you know, somewhere else, I will will
choose to go off the Wi Fi and then set
up a little thing on my phone instead, you know,
like it's just worth that I reckon. So is obviously
(03:48):
a universal nuisance and tourist destinations and my brother's what
particular tactic is trending at the moment.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Interestingly, I came across this earlier this year at Munich airport.
Apparently the most popular pickpocket technique in Europe at the
moment is called the sandwich. So picture that you're standing
on an escalator, for example, at the airport, and you've
got people in front of you blocking the way past.
(04:17):
Unbeknown to you, the couple standing in front of you
are actually acting as stallers, so there'll be a rogue
behind you picking through your backpack. So that is the
sandwich technique. Apparently that is just rife in airport, shopping malls,
train stations, you name it, all across Europe. It's the
(04:38):
number one pickpocketing tactic. But as a general rule, as
we've talked about before and areas that have got a
notorious reputation for pickpockets, definitely turn your backpack into a
front pack or have some sort of like cross body
bag if you are taking valuables out with you.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
What's the go with tap and go street fraud.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
This is fascinating and I have actually been given a
bit of a reinforcement about this in Nepal and India
in the last week or so. It is huge in
that part of the world. So what is going on
is that a whole lot of opportunists have got these
portable card reader machines and in busy, congested tourist areas,
(05:24):
they just nudge into tourists that look like they've got
a wallet in your pocket, and that can be enough
to activate the tap and go the payWave being recorded
by their card reader machine as a transaction. It's that easy.
So turn off the tap or payWave function on your
(05:48):
phone if you can. Otherwise. I noticed what is becoming
increasingly on sale, particularly at airports and so forth, are
like shield covers for your credit card, so the card
reader machines can't penetrate those two to do a dodgy.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Hey, Mike, just stay there for a moment. We have
a bit of breaking news. Twenty five past eleven.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
This is news Talk zib breaking news right.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Foreign Minister wins And Peters is speaking at the United
Nations General Assembly in New York. New Zealand is not
recognizing the state of Palestine at this stage. He says
it's a case of when, not if, the New Zealand
will recognize Palestinian statehood. But it is presentation at the
UN General Assembly. He's medically New Zealand is not recognizing
(06:41):
the state of Palestine at this stage. It means that
New Zealand's decision is at odds with about one hundred
and fifty other countries around the world, including Australia, who
announced formal recognition earlier this week at the UN General Assembly.
But Foreign Minister Winston Peters in his presentation says New
Zealand is not recognizing the state of Palestine at this stage.
We'll have more details for that about that in the
(07:02):
news very shortly. Right it is twenty six minutes past eleven.
Mike Hardley, a travel correspond is still whether Sorry to
interrupt you there, Mike. I just we always to bring
you around the breaking news as soon as as soon
as it happens, and I know a lot of people
had been waiting to see what Winston Peters would say.
It's part of his presentation here this morning.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, it's a very Winston decision, isn't it. Well, I
mean it's interesting.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yes, I'm sure people will have their own thoughts on it.
It's obviously a contentious subject, but yeah, you know, it's
a decision that was I think made by cabinet earlier,
but I expect that within cabinet there would be a
variety of different opinions on whether or not New Zealand
should be recognizing Palestinian state. But very important to point out,
he says, when not if, but at the stage New
(07:45):
Zealand is not recognizing the state. So we were talking
about their different scams and swindles that can affect travelers,
and you were talking about the tap and go with
a kind of streetforward people brushing up against you. What
about QR cod scams they're increasing as well.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Yeah, I know it's quite in cillious, isn't it. So
just a gentle reminder when you're ordering food in a restaurant,
for example, it will actually pay to check the QR
code carefully. Particularly in Asia, apparently this is trending whereby
some schemers are placing their own QR code stickers over
the top of the existing codes. So check the URL
(08:26):
that you've just taken a snap of, because they are
using that as a way to try and get your
credit card details. What just amazing A.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, I mean yeah here amazing, but pretty frustrating if
you're the one who's caught up in it. What about
eVisa swindles.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yeah, just finally, this is not a new one, but
I think most New Zealanders will be aware that. For example,
when you're applying for an est to go to the
US under the visa waiver program, if you look at
the Internet, you'll notice there are hundreds of profiteering ester websites,
(09:03):
and a lot of people aren't aware until it's too
late that they've actually not used the official US government
site but a lookalike website that actually just adds on
a service fee which you don't actually have to pay.
I know the same things happened with the New Zealand
ETA scheme as well. But interestingly, Jack, when I applied
(09:25):
for my India eVisa a few weeks ago, I found
the Government of India website so bloody hopeless that I
did actually end up using one of the more commercial sites.
I was prepared to pay twenty bucks just for a
more efficient application experience. So there's sort of swings roundabouts
(09:48):
with it. The thing that.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Always surprises me is that even with the US one,
I'm always surprised at how kind of budget the official
US government website looks. I was like, is this it
like this looks like something I could have built.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
You know, it needs a bit of Marri Lago bling.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah, well it just needs it just needs a bit
of a that's not just a pain. It just looks,
you know, a bit old and scuzzy. But anyway, Finally,
another little moneysucker to avoid is selecting a credit card
charge in New Zealand currency when overseas.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yes, indeed, I get so frustrated by this because literally
everyone does it, you know, like really big judy free stores,
five star hotels. When you're checking out and you're fixing
up your bell or you've just bought your duty free alcohol,
they'll say, do you want to pay a New Zealand
currency or you know, the local currency wherever you are
(10:38):
in the world. Do not select the New Zealand currency
because it is such a ruse just to skim a
bit of extra profit off you. It's always dearer overseas
to pay a New Zealand currency.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah. Hey, great advice. We really appreciate it. Thank you
so much. Mike. That is Mike Guard the Travel Cross.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to newstalksz' B from nine am Saturday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio,
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
At be Mike Yardy is our travel correspondent. This morning,
he's focusing on travel scams and swindles, because as much
as you might be enjoying traveling the world, nothing will
take the fun out of your holiday like getting ripped
off by a scammer. Good morning, Mike.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Good morning Jack. Yes, that's exactly that in terms of, like,
you know, you've saved up for a hard earned holiday
and you don't want to have that shine taken off
the experience. So yeah, you do not want to lead
your guard down. There are a lot of bad bikers
out there.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
My brother has just been going on holiday in Europe
nice for some and he had flown out and was
on the plane and then texted us. Upon arrival, he
got a call from his bank saying we've had some
weird transactions and he was like, what do you mean
some weird transactions and they said, well, you know, we've
had some transactions and you know, in Nigeria and somewhere
(01:05):
else on you carda a bit surprised and he said, oh,
that's that's strange, and they said, look, can you just
get out your credit card and make sure. And he went.
He looked in his bag and his credit card have
been gone pinched out of his backpack and the overhead locker.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
So there you go. Man.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
There you gotta be very careful. And I mean that's
just the old school, right, like pinching your cards, the
old school, you know, not particularly technical. But this is
the digital age, and I would have thought that, you know,
stuff like fake booking sites AI scams are increasingly catching travelers,
are they.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yes, well, I was thinking of you, Jack in terms
of you know, fake product endorsements, exploiting the likes of you,
same sort of concept where through the power of AI,
so many booking sites are being created that are essentially
cloning legitimate websites. They look almost identical, and this could
(01:59):
be like flights, activities, accommodation platforms. So you really do
need to be extra careful that you are dealing with
a reputable company and the real deal. One of the
big giveaways is a web page that is designed to
take payments should always start with HTTPS if it says
(02:24):
http red flag burg red flag.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, yeah, that's a very good point. What about public
Wi Fi networks?
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Interesting isn't it, Because I have repeatedly over the years
used airport, public Wi Fi, hotel Wi Fi, cafe Wi Fi,
and you are putting yourself at greater risk of being
snared by an opportunist scammer. Particularly they'll be after intercepting
(02:54):
your data, stealing passwords, accounts, numbers, and stalling malware. A
lot of people, of course will use a good VPN
for protection because that encrypt your connection. But if you
are using public Wi Fi, I would strongly suggest you
restrict your usage to surfing the net, do not use
(03:17):
any sensitive apps. Definitely nothing in the way of online
banking when using public Wi Fi.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
That's my role. I just don't any big transaction or stuff.
I don't do it on public Wi Fi just and
sometimes even if I'm traveling in New Zealand, I make
an effort to you know, if I'm using public Wi
Fi and I'm you know, somewhere else, I will will
choose to go off the Wi Fi and then set
up a little thing on my phone instead, you know,
like it's just worth that I reckon. So is obviously
(03:48):
a universal nuisance and tourist destinations and my brother's what
particular tactic is trending at the moment.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Interestingly, I came across this earlier this year at Munich airport.
Apparently the most popular pickpocket technique in Europe at the
moment is called the sandwich. So picture that you're standing
on an escalator, for example, at the airport, and you've
got people in front of you blocking the way past.
(04:17):
Unbeknown to you, the couple standing in front of you
are actually acting as stallers, so there'll be a rogue
behind you picking through your backpack. So that is the
sandwich technique. Apparently that is just rife in airport, shopping malls,
train stations, you name it, all across Europe. It's the
(04:38):
number one pickpocketing tactic. But as a general rule, as
we've talked about before and areas that have got a
notorious reputation for pickpockets, definitely turn your backpack into a
front pack or have some sort of like cross body
bag if you are taking valuables out with you.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
What's the go with tap and go street fraud.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
This is fascinating and I have actually been given a
bit of a reinforcement about this in Nepal and India
in the last week or so. It is huge in
that part of the world. So what is going on
is that a whole lot of opportunists have got these
portable card reader machines and in busy, congested tourist areas,
(05:24):
they just nudge into tourists that look like they've got
a wallet in your pocket, and that can be enough
to activate the tap and go the payWave being recorded
by their card reader machine as a transaction. It's that easy.
So turn off the tap or payWave function on your
(05:48):
phone if you can. Otherwise. I noticed what is becoming
increasingly on sale, particularly at airports and so forth, are
like shield covers for your credit card, so the card
reader machines can't penetrate those two to do a dodgy.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Hey, Mike, just stay there for a moment. We have
a bit of breaking news. Twenty five past eleven.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
This is news Talk zib breaking news right.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Foreign Minister wins And Peters is speaking at the United
Nations General Assembly in New York. New Zealand is not
recognizing the state of Palestine at this stage. He says
it's a case of when, not if, the New Zealand
will recognize Palestinian statehood. But it is presentation at the
UN General Assembly. He's medically New Zealand is not recognizing
(06:41):
the state of Palestine at this stage. It means that
New Zealand's decision is at odds with about one hundred
and fifty other countries around the world, including Australia, who
announced formal recognition earlier this week at the UN General Assembly.
But Foreign Minister Winston Peters in his presentation says New
Zealand is not recognizing the state of Palestine at this stage.
We'll have more details for that about that in the
(07:02):
news very shortly. Right it is twenty six minutes past eleven.
Mike Hardley, a travel correspond is still whether Sorry to
interrupt you there, Mike. I just we always to bring
you around the breaking news as soon as as soon
as it happens, and I know a lot of people
had been waiting to see what Winston Peters would say.
It's part of his presentation here this morning.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, it's a very Winston decision, isn't it. Well, I
mean it's interesting.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yes, I'm sure people will have their own thoughts on it.
It's obviously a contentious subject, but yeah, you know, it's
a decision that was I think made by cabinet earlier,
but I expect that within cabinet there would be a
variety of different opinions on whether or not New Zealand
should be recognizing Palestinian state. But very important to point out,
he says, when not if, but at the stage New
(07:45):
Zealand is not recognizing the state. So we were talking
about their different scams and swindles that can affect travelers,
and you were talking about the tap and go with
a kind of streetforward people brushing up against you. What
about QR cod scams they're increasing as well.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Yeah, I know it's quite in cillious, isn't it. So
just a gentle reminder when you're ordering food in a restaurant,
for example, it will actually pay to check the QR
code carefully. Particularly in Asia, apparently this is trending whereby
some schemers are placing their own QR code stickers over
the top of the existing codes. So check the URL
(08:26):
that you've just taken a snap of, because they are
using that as a way to try and get your
credit card details. What just amazing A.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, I mean yeah here amazing, but pretty frustrating if
you're the one who's caught up in it. What about
eVisa swindles.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yeah, just finally, this is not a new one, but
I think most New Zealanders will be aware that. For example,
when you're applying for an est to go to the
US under the visa waiver program, if you look at
the Internet, you'll notice there are hundreds of profiteering ester websites,
(09:03):
and a lot of people aren't aware until it's too
late that they've actually not used the official US government
site but a lookalike website that actually just adds on
a service fee which you don't actually have to pay.
I know the same things happened with the New Zealand
ETA scheme as well. But interestingly, Jack, when I applied
(09:25):
for my India eVisa a few weeks ago, I found
the Government of India website so bloody hopeless that I
did actually end up using one of the more commercial sites.
I was prepared to pay twenty bucks just for a
more efficient application experience. So there's sort of swings roundabouts
(09:48):
with it. The thing that.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Always surprises me is that even with the US one,
I'm always surprised at how kind of budget the official
US government website looks. I was like, is this it
like this looks like something I could have built.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
You know, it needs a bit of Marri Lago bling.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah, well it just needs it just needs a bit
of a that's not just a pain. It just looks,
you know, a bit old and scuzzy. But anyway, Finally,
another little moneysucker to avoid is selecting a credit card
charge in New Zealand currency when overseas.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yes, indeed, I get so frustrated by this because literally
everyone does it, you know, like really big judy free stores,
five star hotels. When you're checking out and you're fixing
up your bell or you've just bought your duty free alcohol,
they'll say, do you want to pay a New Zealand
currency or you know, the local currency wherever you are
(10:38):
in the world. Do not select the New Zealand currency
because it is such a ruse just to skim a
bit of extra profit off you. It's always dearer overseas
to pay a New Zealand currency.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah. Hey, great advice. We really appreciate it. Thank you
so much. Mike. That is Mike Guard the Travel Cross.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to newstalksz' B from nine am Saturday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio,
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