Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong recently issued a warning to tourists planning to visit the city for the Panagbenga Festival, urging them to be vigilant against fraudulent accommodation bookings and illegal transient businesses.
The reminder comes as the city expects another surge of visitors for the annual flower festival this February.
Magalong noted that scammers often exploit the high demand by creating fake social media pages that impersonate legitimate hotels and transient houses.
“Let’s be cautious so as not to fall prey to these people who take advantage of our festival to advance their unscrupulous deed,” Magalong said.
To ensure transactions are secure, city officials advised visitors to use official channels and transact only with establishments listed on the city’s official tourist assistance portal, the Baguio VISITA website.
Tourists can also verify permits by contact the Permits and Licensing Division at 619-3184 to confirm the registered owners and contact details of an establishment.
The mayor also urged visitors to directly report fake accounts to the Baguio City Anti-Cyber Crime Unit via their official Facebook page or by calling 0908-899-7228.
The City Tourism Office also highlighted several red flags that may indicate a booking offer is a scam if pricing is unrealistic and too good to be true all-in packages that are significantly cheaper than market rates.
Businesses that lack documentation such as valid business permit or failure to issue official receipt are possible scams too.
Tourists are also warned that scammers frequently delete old accounts and create new ones to evade detection and users should be wary of accounts with little history or few reviews.
If a physical address cannot be found or verified, tourists can call 074-446-2009 to confirm the existence of a declared location.
City officials also cautioned against relying on non-government identification, noting that many scammers use fabricated IDs to gain a traveler’s trust. NLMonitor