Tourists Warned To Look Out For Unlicensed Los Cabos Tour Providers

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Last Updated 11 months ago

The popularity of Los Cabos has really taken off this year. A record number of visitors are expected to visit the beach resort destination in 2023.

Along with the expansion in tourists coming to Los Cabos to enjoy a fun-filled summer vacation, there is also an expansion of scammers looking to separate them from their money.

Here’s what tourists traveling to Los Cabos need to keep an eye out for to avoid falling victim to a rapidly expanding scam – the selling of fake tour packages.

Pirate Service Providers

In a throwback to the past, pirates are again looking to steal money from Los Cabos visitors.

That’s according to a recent announcement by Maribel Collins Sánchez, head of The Ministry of Tourism and Economy (SETUE) of Baja California Sur, who said that pirates abound in Los Cabos are preying on victims by selling fake services to tourists.

Instead of gold and treasure, these pirates are selling fake services such as tour packages, spa reservations, and even travel excursions to different parts of Baja California Sur.

Tourists looking for a good deal due to the rapid increase in prices for resort hotel rooms and airfare to the third most popular international visitor destination in Mexico are quick to jump on these “special deals”.

Unfortunately, they are too good to be true.

How The Scam Works

In the scam, travelers pay for the tour package with cash from a vendor walking on the beach and get a discount ticket and an “official” receipt with a “confirmation number”.

Then, the excited guest who saved hundreds by booking the last-minute boat tour or fishing trip shows up at the dock to find out that the whole purchase was fake.

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Unfortunately, the scammer is long gone, and the tourist is left holding the fake ticket and no exciting adventure. The tour boat operator is also unable to help the victim.

All they can do is report the disappointing and embarrassing experience to the Los Cabos police.

Pirates You May Recognize

They may not have a peg leg and a parrot on their shoulder, but they are just as mean.

There is an interesting twist to this old Mexico tourist scam. In the past, it was always a person that appeared to be a local that scammed the visitor.

Now, according to Collins Sánchez, it appears that it is fellow Americans or Canadians that are unlicensed that are ripping off the tourists.

She recently met with both United States and Canadian consulate authorities to report the issue and ask for assistance.

How To Stay Safe

There are a number of ways tourists can avoid falling victim to this growing scam and instead enjoy their exciting tour adventure when visiting Los Cabos.

The easiest way to avoid the scam is to purchase the excursion ticket at the provider’s ticket office.

For example, booking a boat tour to view the world-famous Los Cabos arch at Lands End at the dock where the boat is parked.

However, there are often vendors who do sell discount tickets in heavily trafficked tourist areas.

Before purchasing a ticket from a discount vendor that is working for the tour package company, verify that the seller is licensed.

Request to see an official seller’s license issued by the municipality of Los Cabos and use a smartphone to take a picture confirming who the package was purchased from.

If possible, complete the purchase in the presence of a Los Cabos municipal police officer. Scammers would not want to have a police officer present when scamming a visitor.

Last but not least, remember that very important saying that goes if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

It’s a smart way to avoid getting ripped off by a pirate in Los Cabos.