Tourist operators reeling from the pandemic have copped a second hit: the re-emergence of a social media scam which targets the Chinese community with fraudulent offers of discounts to some of Victoria’s most popular attractions.
“The surprising thing is this has been going on for a long time and there has never been any significant measures to try and shut this down,″ Victorian Tourism Industry Council chief executive Felicia Mariani told“It is hugely detrimental for our attraction sector within an industry that has been hammered. Right now, these guys can’t afford this kind of activity to be happening to them and we need to try to protect them in every way we can.
An Adelaide woman who asked not to be named was shocked to discover earlier this year she had been charged $1385 for a balloon ride over Melbourne and hundreds of dollars for tickets to Luna Park, Melbourne Zoo, Kryal Castle and Sydney’s Taronga Zoo in the week after Christmas, despite having not left South Australia.
Mr Saunders said the fact fraudsters used Australian bank accounts to collect payments from customers suggested banks could be doing more to stamp out the practice. “How is it that they can just facilitate this?” he asked. In one instance in January, scammers responded to a request for customer authentication by supplying a photo-shopped drivers licence. The only giveaway, spotted by a sharp-eyed staff member, was the address on the licence: 17 Sample Parade.