The classic travel scam story involves a stranger, a far-flung street and a wince-inducing bill. In one columnist's case, it was a Hanoi snake restaurant two decades ago: a friendly local, a scooter ride to the outskirts of the city, and roughly $100 for spring rolls and a beer that should have cost about $3. He paid up, chalked it down to experience and moved on.
Fast-forward to a recent stopover in Dubai en route to Kenya, and history repeated itself — with a twist. This time the money vanished without anyone looking him in the eye. On landing, his phone lit up with a message saying his Optus Roaming Pass was active: 1GB of data plus unlimited talk and text for 24 hours. Odd, he thought — his plan already included 2GB of monthly roaming data. A few hours later came a second ping: approximately $50 spent outside his plan's inclusions. Then, two hours after that, roughly $100. He flicked the phone to flight mode and investigated properly once he reached Nairobi.
The answer: Optus had changed his plan without telling him. His included roaming data was gone entirely, and the countries covered by the Roaming Pass had shrunk from more than 100 to just 35 — the UAE not among them. So every WhatsApp message and social media scroll in Dubai was billed at eye-watering rates, despite the reassuring activation message. The total damage: about $100, almost exactly what the Hanoi snake lunch cost 20 years ago. At least that one came with live snakes paraded across the floor.
The writer's broader point is worth heeding: today's most reliable ways to lose money abroad aren't petty street hustlers but corporations doing things that are entirely legal. He flags dynamic currency conversion — when an EFTPOS terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency instead of local money — as a major rip-off that preys on travellers who assume their own currency is the safer bet (it isn't). He also calls out hire-car firms pushing unnecessary insurance or inventing damage, hotels tacking on "resort fees" for facilities you'd expect in the room rate, and telcos charging hefty margins on data roaming that costs them very little.
The practical takeaway for travellers is straightforward. Before flying, log into your telco's app or call to confirm your current plan's roaming inclusions and destination list — carriers do change terms, and a welcome message on arrival doesn't mean you're covered. Set a spending alert or data cap, and if the numbers start climbing oddly, flight mode first, questions later. At the payment terminal or ATM, always choose the local currency. And keep a little healthy scepticism for the big institutional costs of a trip, not just the charming stranger offering to take you to lunch.
