We can all agree on this: we hate scammers and fraudsters. It feels awful when it happens to you, and it's just as bad hearing stories from friends and family who got done over.
Unfortunately, travel fraud isn't going anywhere. If anything, it's becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect.
There has been a rise in payment fraud, AI-generated misinformation, fake accommodation listings, and online booking scams. Common cases include travellers arriving overseas to find their accommodation doesn't exist. Families targeted through airfare fraud, resulting in flights that were never actually booked or ticketed. And while not always intentional, AI-generated travel advice can produce incorrect visa information, inaccurate destination descriptions, and all manner of cloudy guidance that leads people astray.
What's better than a parachute when jumping out of a plane? Two parachutes.
Travel agencies like Journeys Retold are your second parachute. We are members of TAANZ, the Travel Agents' Association of New Zealand, identifiable by the blue travel tick. Booking with us, or any NZ-accredited agent displaying that tick, means your money is protected under local laws. There are strong industry safeguards in place to help New Zealanders avoid these scams. Without an agent, you're navigating it alone.
Don't fall victim to it. Look for the tick.
Pictured above: The TAANZ tick. Your money stays protected with us.