The city of Dalat has issued a warning to tourists about scams involving fake websites pretending to be hotels and guesthouses in Dalat, targeting those booking accommodations for the Dalat Flower Festival.
On November 19, Mr. Dang Quang Tu, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dalat City (Lam Dong Province), including the Dalat Police Department, along with the Department of Culture and Information and other relevant agencies, to investigate reports of hundreds of tourists being scammed while booking accommodations for the festival.
Da Lat City has over 2,500 accommodation establishments with 33,138 rooms licensed to operate tourism businesses.
The city has also requested that local wards and communes raise awareness and provide information to businesses and tourism accommodation providers to prevent such fraudulent activities.
In the lead-up to the 10th Dalat Flower Festival, set to open on the evening of December 5, 2024, scammers have been creating fake social media accounts mimicking local hotels and guesthouses. They advertise discounted rooms to lure tourists, offering enticing deals and requesting a 50% deposit to secure the booking, which they then pocket.
Mr. Le Anh Kiet, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Dalat City, stated that the city currently has over 2,500 licensed lodging facilities, offering a total of 33,138 rooms that meet tourism business standards.
Mr. Kiet advises tourists to avoid booking accommodations through unclear social media accounts or platforms where the bank account name differs from the profile name. During festivals and holidays, when demand for rooms is high, tourists are encouraged to contact hotels directly or call the Department of Culture and Information to verify information before making transactions. If suspect tourists have been scammed, they can report the incident to the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Lam Dong Province for timely resolution.
Common characteristics of fraudulent websites include offering room prices 30–50% lower than the market rate, along with additional perks and convenient locations. Scammers typically join travel-related Facebook groups and fan pages, actively seeking potential victims, engaging them with enthusiastic communication, and sharing numerous photos to build trust.
Tourists have fun at Xuan Huong Lake, Da Lat City
Additionally, homestays and private home rentals are popular among tourists, but some facilities operate without proper licenses or meeting security, fire safety, and government-approved standards for tourism accommodations.
Mr. Kiet also highlights instances where lodging facilities falsely advertise their services. Guests book one location but are redirected to another upon arrival, which does not match the online advertisements, negatively impacting Dalat’s tourism reputation.
According to the Lam Dong Department of Information and Communications, with the Dalat Flower Festival approaching, scammers are exploiting tourists’ fear of unavailable rooms to pressure them into early payments. These fraudulent activities are carried out quickly, leaving minimal traces, with servers often located abroad.
As previously reported by Thanh Nien, in response to the rise in online scams, the Lam Dong Department of Information and Communications has established a Fake News and Malicious Information Processing Center. It has also created a Zalo channel called “Lam Dong Anti-Fake News” and a hotline at 0912.010.801 for reporting false or misleading information to the authorities for action.
@Thanhnien.vn
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Source: Vietnam Insider