How to avoid being scammed when visiting Baguio City.
The Baguio Tourism office issued a warning to Tourists to be careful and extra cautious this coming high season due to the presence of online scams that involve tour packages and accommodations.
As an example, they cited that just recently, they got a report that a tourist lost 17000 pesos after paying in advance for accommodation which did not exist.
So how can you protect yourself from such scams?
The best way is to check if the establishment is listed in the visita.baguio.gov.ph Website. Go under accommodation or tour operators or tour guides tab. If they are listed, use the phone number in their about page to call and match the person you are talking to.
All tourist services are required to have a Business Permit and accreditation by the Tourism Office, so if they are not in the database, that is a big red flag.
If they are listed, ensure that the person you are talking to is connected to the establishment by calling the establishment listed phone number and asking.
If you cannot find their listing, the Tourism Office has provided a 24/7 hotline you can call 074 446 2009 any time. They have also provided other numbers which we have listed here with the corresponding times.
Tourists may also call or text 0956-572-9097 (7 a.m. – 4 p.m.); 0956-572-9093 (2 p.m. -11 p.m.); 0956-572-9094 (10 p.m – 7 a.m.) Philippine time to know if you are transacting with a fake or a legitimate service provider.
Of course there are other ways of protecting yourself buy using reputable booking websites such as Agoda, Expedia, AirBNB and the like. But the surest way is to make that phone call to the hotline and verify.
Hopefully this information will help you avoid any scams when trying to enjoy the beautiful city of Baguio.
This helpful information is provided to you by The Baguio Channel. We serve the interest of Baguio Residents and visitors and if you like our content, please like, subscribe and strike that notification bell.
