WeChat Scam – How Tourism Operators can protect themselves

“It’s a standoff”: Tourism operators speak out over WeChat ticketing scam that’s costing them more than $400,000.
In: SmartCompany.com.au – 6th April 2017

Tourism Tribe’s CEO Liz Ward was recently quoted in SmartCompany.

Liz Ward, chief executive of tourism industry resource hub Tourism Tribe, told SmartCompany that while tourism operators now have more control over tracking bookings and knowing who is planning on attending their attractions, there are still vulnerabilities for smaller operators in the sector.

 

“Probably at more exposure would be smaller attractions and tour operators, because someone can roll up and say, ‘I’ve booked, I’ve paid’. Meanwhile, scammers run away with the money,” Ward says.

 

Ward advises all tourism operators to have their own bookings platform in place, or use a reputable third party site, and to keep a constant watch both on bookings that come through and any comments that are made about your business or service on social media.

 

“They should monitor any social media comments on their business, and have all their notifications turned on, so they can see any time someone even writes a comment,” she says.

 

“There’s always a new scam coming, and you have to keep yourself aware of the new scam in the marketplace. Make sure you’re checking the veracity of what’s coming through the door.”

Find the full article in PDF format here: Tourism operators We Chat Scam SmartCompany