Rubber Duck Scam Targeting Unsuspecting Cruise Ship Passengers

Cruise ship passengers are apparently being duped by scammers thanks to the allure of adorable rubber ducks.

Cruise Ship Scam Involves Rubber Ducks

A travel industry content creator is using his YouTube channel to warn fellow travelers about a potential scam that is becoming more prevalent on cruise ships.

Gary Bembridge is a London-based content creator with more than 450,000 YouTube subscribers. Not only that, but he also claims to have gone on more than 100 cruises.

So it's probably no surprise that cruise ship passengers tend to reach out to him when they get a whiff of a new scam popping up on their vacations.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel this week, Bembridge addressed travelers' concerns about scammers using rubber ducks to carryout their plans.

"On many cruises, taking and hiding a duck on board has become quite a big thing," he says to his thousands of viewers. "Whenever something's popular, of course, scammers tend to move right in."

How The Rubber Duck Scam Works

In his video, Bembridge outlines how the scammers will use social media, particularly travel groups, to share photos of a large collection of rubber ducks. Along with the photos is a message saying the poster can no longer go on their cruise.

READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About Finding A Rubber Duck On Your Vehicle

"Who's ready to hide my ducks?" one post reads. "My cruise plans got called off."

The scammers promise to send the ducks to another traveler in exchange for the cost of postage, which Brembridge says often "sounds surprisingly high."

In most cases, the scammers never send the ducks once they receive the other travelers' money.

Cruise Lines That Have Banned Rubber Ducks

When scamming people for money isn't involved, hunting for rubber ducks does sound like a fun way to pass time during a day at sea.

Most cruise ships have no issue with passengers bringing ducks onboard to hid for others on vacation. There are, however, at least two cruise lines that have banned duck hiding on their ships.

According to travel website ThePointsGuy.com, both Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line have put policies in place where passengers are asked to no longer hide ducks.

The website is quick to note that there are "no severe consequences" for hiding the ducks on either of the cruise lines, but it still might be best to find other ways to have fun on vacation.