Mongolia Tours | GER to GER Mongolia - Experience Mongolia's Nomadic Lifestyles

GER to GER Reserves the Right to Decline Service to Unethical Travelers & Address Fraudulent Activity

Promoting Respectful Travel: Addressing Unethical Behavior & Misrepresentation

“IF” you are a scammer and/or a #Karen, pleeease don’t travel with us – thank you!

A Commitment to Ethical Travel & Transparency

At GER to GER, we believe in honesty, transparency, and mutual respect. Our mission is to provide authentic, ethical, and community-based travel experiences that benefit both travelers and the nomadic families who host them.

Unfortunately, like many organizations in the tourism industry, we have encountered instances of fraudulent travel insurance claims, online defamation, and unethical extortion attempts aimed at securing free trips through false narratives.

To ensure a fair and respectful travel environment, we kindly ask that anyone who intends to engage in dishonest practices—such as fabricating negative reviews, misrepresenting experiences for financial gain, or attempting to manipulate online reputations—seek alternative travel providers.

At GER to GER, we take ethical travel seriously, and while we always aim for open dialogue and resolution, we must also protect the integrity of our organization, the livelihoods of the nomadic families we support, and the trust of responsible travelers. Any future incidents of travel scams, defamation, or fraudulent activities will be documented, investigated, and reported as necessary.

We appreciate the support of genuine travelers who share our passion for responsible and meaningful tourism.

Thank you for your understanding, and warmest regards from all of us at GER to GER across Mongolia.

Karens Playlist

12 Videos

Understanding Unethical Travel Scams & Online Defamation

At GER to GER, we strive to provide honest, ethical, and responsible travel experiences that benefit both travelers and host communities. However, like many businesses in the tourism industry, we have encountered individuals who engage in unethical practices such as extortion, false claims, and online defamation for personal or financial gain.

What Are Online Extortion Scams & Fraudulent Travel Claims?

Unethical individuals—including both men and women—sometimes attempt to manipulate businesses, employees, or service providers by engaging in:

  • Public intimidation tactics – Including aggressive outbursts, disorderly conduct, and verbal abuse.
  • Fraudulent travel insurance claims – Fabricating issues to demand refunds or compensation from travel insurance providers.
  • Extortion through online reviews – Using false, exaggerated, or defamatory reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor, blogs, and social media as leverage to demand free services or compensation.
  • Intentional disruption of businesses – Making baseless accusations to damage the reputation of ethical travel providers for personal benefit.

These individuals often ignore or misrepresent clear policies, service agreements, and ethical standards—even when they are fully informed before purchasing services. Unfortunately, platforms like TripAdvisor often allow the spread of misinformation, making it difficult for businesses to defend themselves against false narratives and organized defamation efforts.

To understand how unethical budget travelers, fraudulent bloggers, and insurance scammers impact honest businesses and responsible tourism, we encourage you to explore these resources:

Educational Videos on Fraudulent Travel Scams

Commitment to Fair & Ethical Travel

At GER to GER, we take integrity and fairness seriously. We welcome open and honest discussions with our clients and believe in resolving concerns professionally and respectfully.

However, for the protection of our travelers, nomadic hosts, and ethical tourism efforts, GER to GER does not tolerate fraudulent activities, extortion attempts, or malicious defamation. Such cases will be documented, investigated, and reported where necessary.

We appreciate the support of ethical travelers who share our commitment to responsible and transparent tourism.

Thank you for your understanding and support!

The Growing Problem of Fake Reviews, Extortion, and Travel Insurance Scams

Online reviews play a crucial role in shaping travelers’ decisions, but unfortunately, some individuals and groups manipulate review platforms for personal or financial gain. Businesses—especially ethical and small-scale operators—are increasingly targeted by extortionist reviewers, fraudulent bloggers, and insurance scammers who attempt to exploit review systems, defraud insurance companies, and damage reputations for leverage.

The Ongoing Issue of Fake Reviews on TripAdvisor

In recent years, TripAdvisor has come under increasing scrutiny for its failure to effectively prevent fake reviews, fraudulent claims, and online defamation. While the platform remains a widely used travel resource, its lack of verification processes has made it vulnerable to abuse—allowing misleading, unverified, and sometimes malicious reviews to impact businesses and individuals unfairly.

New York Post: “Why YOU Should Never, Ever Trust TripAdvisor”

As early as 2018, major media outlets began shedding light on TripAdvisor’s failure to prevent false and defamatory content. While some improvements have been attempted, TripAdvisor still struggles to protect ethical businesses and individuals from being publicly misrepresented or extorted.

Despite ongoing industry concerns, the platform continues to rely on outdated protections under the Communications Decency Act (Section 230)—effectively shielding itself from accountability while allowing unverified statements and manipulative tactics to go unchecked.

The Scale of Fake Reviews on TripAdvisor

  • 2019-2020: Over 1 million fake reviews exposed
    – Read more
  • 2018-2019: Over 1.5 million fake reviews identified
    – Read more

Understanding Extortionist Reviewers & Bloggers: Scam Tactics Explained

Some unethical travelers, reviewers, or bloggers deliberately manipulate online review platforms to pressure businesses into providing free services, refunds, or financial compensation. These tactics follow a common pattern:

Step 1: Fabricating Complaints

  • Some unethical individuals intentionally create conflicts or exaggerate minor inconveniences to justify demanding compensation from businesses.
  • They may claim poor service, mistreatment, or product failure, despite receiving the full service they paid for.

Step 2: Using Review Platforms as a Weapon

  • If a business refuses to comply with their demands, these individuals threaten to leave negative reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor, Google, or social media.
  • Some even coordinate with others to post multiple bad reviews to make their claims seem more credible.

Step 3: Public Smear Campaigns & Defamation

  • When businesses stand firm against extortion attempts, scammers may escalate their tactics—writing defamatory blog posts, posting on forums, or spreading misinformation on social media.
  • These false claims can damage businesses and individuals, even when they are completely unfounded.

How Travel Insurance Scams Exploit Fake Reviews

Fraudulent travel insurance claims have become an increasingly common scam, often involving false complaints and defamatory online reviews. These tactics are used to manipulate travel providers and insurance companies into issuing refunds or compensation for non-existent issues.

How Travel Insurance Scams Work

1️⃣ Initial In-Person Complaint Tactics:
  • Scammers fabricate issues during their trip and attempt to pressure businesses for immediate compensation or free services at the office.
  • If the business refuses to comply, the scammers escalate their actions online.
2️⃣ Posting False Reviews for Insurance Claims:
  • After being denied an in-person refund, scammers write misleading or defamatory reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor to create a false public record of their supposed “negative experience.”
  • They use these fabricated reviews as “evidence” for their travel insurance provider, claiming they were wronged, mistreated, or had serious issues during their trip—allowing them to file a fraudulent insurance claim for reimbursement.

This method, sometimes known as the “strength in numbers” approach, is often coordinated through online communities or forums, where individuals encourage one another to post misleading complaints.

The Global Impact on Ethical Tourism

  • These scams unfairly target responsible travel providers—especially small businesses that rely on honest customer interactions.
  • Fake reviews mislead future travelers, distorting perceptions of businesses that provide genuine, high-quality services.
  • Insurance fraud affects the entire travel industry, increasing costs and making it harder for honest travelers to access fair insurance coverage.

At GER to GER, we strongly advocate for transparency and ethical travel practices to protect responsible businesses and communities from fraud, defraud and other unethical activities.

Supporting ethical tourism means standing against misinformation, extortion, and online defamation.

EXTORTIONIST REVIEWERs’ & BLOGGERS’ SCAM TACTICS

Threatening Good Businesses/People with Bad Reviews – Extortion Scams Explained Exceptionally Well

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF CARE-LESS TOURISM

“Tourists” have Lost Their Way… They Need to Stop Hurting Us Good People – If We Quit – It Damages The Country

Verify with Facts, NOT Hearsay

CASE STUDIES: Unethical Blogging & Fake Review Scams

The Impact of Ransomware Bloggers & Unethical Reviewers

Online reviews and travel blogs can be invaluable tools for sharing experiences and guiding travelers, but unfortunately, some individuals manipulate these platforms for personal gain or unethical agendas. Whether through misleading narratives, fake complaints, or coordinated smear campaigns, these tactics can unfairly damage ethical businesses, mislead potential travelers, and exploit online platforms for financial or personal leverage.

Case Study: A Travel Blogger’s Misleading Narrative

How Ransomware Blogging Works:

  • A blogger intentionally leaves out crucial context to frame a misleading story.
  • The review or blog is written years after the actual event, raising credibility concerns.
  • The blogger privately pressures the business to comply with their demands, promising to change the negative portrayal in exchange for special treatment or concessions.
  • If the business refuses, the blog remains defamatory, damaging the business’s reputation.

A clear example of this can be seen in a blog post published in December 2021 about a trip taken in 2016. The question arises: why did the blogger wait five years to write the review? This alone raises red flags about motive and intent—especially considering that 2016 was the year GER to GER caught multiple travel scammers.

Despite receiving two detailed responses clarifying the real context, the blogger deliberately omitted critical information to portray an unfair and misleading narrative. Furthermore, the blogger privately admitted that they would write about GER to GER in a “better light” only if certain demands were met—a clear conflict of interest and unethical manipulation.

🔗 Read the misleading ransomware blog post:
https://thetripgoeson.com/ger-to-ger-mongolia/

This unethical attempt to hold credibility and reputation “ransom” was the final reason GER to GER discontinued its independent budget travel services. While our mission has always been to provide affordable and ethical travel experiences, the rising number of manipulative travelers, bloggers, and review scams made it unsustainable.

Case Study: Karen Behavior on Review Platforms

Not all negative reviews are based on honest experiences. Some are written out of entitlement, spite, or an attempt to pressure businesses into compliance.

Example: The “One Planet” Review on TripAdvisor

  • A group arrived at 4 AM on a Sunday, demanding assistance with a trip they refused to book during business hours on Friday or Saturday.
  • When the GER to GER team, understandably, declined to provide service outside of working hours, they went online and posted an exaggerated, defamatory review stating:
    • “Avoid, Avoid, Avoid.”
    • Accusations of being treated unfairly, even though they ignored multiple opportunities to book properly.

Key Takeaways About Karen Behavior on Review Platforms:

  • Even the kindest and most professional staff can be unfairly targeted.
  • Karen reviews often lack full context, twisting situations to gain sympathy.
  • When businesses don’t meet unreasonable demands, these individuals retaliate through exaggerated online complaints.

While GER to GER has decades of contributions to Mongolia’s tourism and community development, we cannot operate ethically while dealing with repeated online abuse, false complaints, and manipulative extortion tactics.

Conclusion: Why GER to GER No Longer Offers Independent Budget Travel Services

  • Budget travel services were created to help financially challenged travelers experience Mongolia ethically.
  • Unfortunately, an increasing number of unethical travelers, bloggers, and reviewers misused these services, resulting in defamation and extortion attempts.
  • As of 2022, GER to GER officially discontinued all independent budget travel services.

While we continue to offer high-quality, ethical, and community-based travel experiences, we have chosen to distance ourselves from budget travel bloggers, ransomware reviewers, and entitled travelers who exploit online platforms to manipulate businesses.

At GER to GER, we value transparency, fairness, and ethical tourism. We encourage travelers to seek truthful information, verify claims, and support businesses that operate with integrity.

Protecting Our Founders, Staff, and Local Communities from Unethical Travelers & Platform Negligence

At GER to GER, we are committed to providing ethical, community-based tourism experiences that support local nomadic families. Unfortunately, some unethical budget travelers and bloggers attempt to misrepresent our reality-based nomadic experiences—not as they were designed, but instead as “tours” in an attempt to justify fraudulent complaints, extortion, or defamatory online attacks.

The Problem: Misrepresentation for Personal Gain

Rather than appreciating community-based tourism (CBT) as an immersive cultural exchange, certain individuals deliberately distort the truth to suit their own agendas. These unethical actors:

  • Expect five-star luxury while knowingly choosing budget-friendly, nomadic homestays.
  • Misrepresent the experience as a commercial tour instead of a cultural exchange with rural families.
  • Threaten businesses, founders, and staff with online defamation if they are not provided free services or refunds.
  • Use TripAdvisor and other platforms to post misleading, defamatory content to harm reputations and pressure businesses into compliance.

Unethical Tactics in Community-Based Tourism

A clear analogy would be intentionally choosing to couch-surf in a rural nomadic home, accepting home-cooked meals and hospitality, and then falsely claiming disappointment for “lack of five-star amenities.” This is done with the intent to extort, defraud, or damage the livelihoods of rural hosts who were honestly providing the agreed-upon experience.

Many of these individuals:

  • Did not have the budget for our five-star, full-service tours but wanted a luxury experience regardless.
  • Chose our budget-friendly nomadic experiences yet later falsely complained about “missing hotel amenities.”
  • Attempted to use threats of online defamation as leverage to demand financial compensation or free upgrades.

These tactics are manipulative distortions meant to cover up bad judgment or outright fraudulent activities such as:

  • False complaints to obtain refunds.
  • Insurance fraud by fabricating trip “issues” to claim reimbursements.
  • Deliberate misrepresentation of reality-based nomadic travel experiences to harm ethical businesses.

The Role of Platform Negligence

Unfortunately, TripAdvisor continues to facilitate fraudulent market distortions by allowing misleading reviews to remain public—despite these reviews violating their own guidelines. This not only harms responsible businesses but also misleads future travelers into making decisions based on false narratives.

At GER to GER, we believe in fairness, transparency, and ethical tourism. We ask all travelers to verify information before engaging with online reviews and to support businesses that uphold ethical and sustainable tourism practices.