A WOMAN who paid through her nose for a hotel room she believed had breathtaking sea views was shocked to see the truth on arrival.
Social media influencer Clarisa Murgia spent extra money on the room because of the spectacular coastal views she saw in an advert – only to discover it was fake.
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During a holiday trip to Europe, Clarisa from Argentina checked in at the hotel and rushed to her room to finally see the stunning views in real life.
However, when she entered the suite, she realised the view was of a huge seaside poster stuck on the wall of a building opposite her balcony.
Clarisa – who said she felt beyond scammed – filmed the scene to show the cheap con that was done to attract more tourists.
She showed how the poster looked just like the real beach from one angle at the balcony.
But as soon as she panned the camera to the side, a huge picture of a beach and mountain is shown on the other side of a dingy alley.
The real view was of a crumbling white wall with stains and rows of barred windows.
Clarisa shared a video of the massive scam on TikTok and wrote in the caption: “Expectation vs Reality.”
She added: “Someone rented a B&B with a sea view. I feel scammed, guys.
“No one has ever deceived me like this before, hahaha.”
The short clip quickly racked up millions of views – and many fans flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One said: “That’s why I always look at the location so I don’t fail.”
Another joked: “Not even my ex lied that much.”
A third added: “My luck in life is summarised in this video.”
It comes after a man who has been to more than 170 countries revealed some sneaky holiday scams tourists should be aware of.
Tony Wheeler first started travelling back in 1972 with his partner Maureen Wheeler.
The duo then created the travel bible Lonely Planet, with just 1,500 copies – which has led to 150 million guidebooks since.
Despite selling the company back in 2011, Mr Wheeler and his wife still travel the world, going around the globe 50 times.
And during his travels, he’s picked up some tricks along the way – and has set out some sneaky holiday scams holidaymakers should be cognizant of.
Meanwhile, fraud experts have warned holidaymakers to be on the lookout for scams that could cost them thousands online when booking holidays.
With the cost of travel rising everywhere, finding a deal online can be really difficult, which scammers will try and take advantage of.
How to protect yourself from scams
BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam:
- Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
- Check brands are “verified” on Facebook and Twitter pages – this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile.
- Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
- If you’re invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
- To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
- Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
- If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it.
- If you think you’ve fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its online fraud reporting tool.