Scams and traps that actually catch visitors to Andorra

If you’re used to guarding your phone on the Paris metro or in Barcelona’s old town, Andorra will feel very relaxed. Andorra Turisme describes crime as very low and the UK government says street crime is rare. That’s exactly why the tricks that catch visitors come by other routes. They arrive on your phone, in online ads and through a handful of rules nobody mentions until they cost you money.

The fake message from your hotel

This is the newest one and the most convincing. On 12 August 2026 Andorra’s national cybersecurity agency passed on an alert about a mass WhatsApp campaign impersonating hotels, first spotted by Spain’s national cybersecurity institute. What makes it dangerous is that the message contains real details of your booking, the hotel’s name, your check-in and check-out dates, your name and even the booking number. It asks you to confirm or validate the reservation through a link, which leads to a fake page built to collect personal or card details. The same approach can come by email or by phone.

The alert’s advice is clear. Don’t open the link or give any details, don’t carry on the conversation, block the sender and check your booking by going to the hotel’s or platform’s official website or app yourself. If you did type in card details, ring your bank. Keep screenshots, the number and the link, because you’ll need them for a police report.

The holiday flat that doesn’t exist

Andorra’s police describe a pattern with flats advertised online. Photos of a real flat, a price below the market, contact by WhatsApp, social media or email, and an excuse for not showing it, because the owner is abroad or it’s still let. Then comes the request for a deposit by transfer to a foreign bank or phone number, with pressure because other people are interested, and after that silence.

The police link it to the times of year when more workers arrive looking for somewhere to live, but I’d use the same alarm bells for a ski apartment. Be wary of interior-only photos, of anyone who can’t show you round and of any rush to pay. Search for the same listing on other sites, and if it doesn’t add up, walk away.

Traps that aren’t scams, but still hurt

Here nobody is deceiving you, you just don’t know the rules. Customs comes first. The FCDO’s travel advice says France and Spain are strict about tobacco leaving Andorra and can impound the excess and the car carrying it. Every allowance, on both sides of the journey home, is in Andorra duty free allowance.

Then there’s money. Andorra uses the euro and Andorra Turisme says foreign currency isn’t usually accepted. If a card terminal or cash machine suggests billing you in sterling, turn it down, pick euros and leave the conversion to your own card. The rest of the card and cash detail is in Andorra’s currency.

Last, flights. Andorra has no airport, and anything sold as a flight to Andorra usually means Andorra-La Seu, a small airport in Spain with no confirmed scheduled flights for 2026-27. Toulouse and Barcelona are the realistic gateways.

If a purchase goes wrong

Every shop in the country keeps official complaint forms in four languages, according to Andorra Turisme. If the shop won’t sort it out, the government’s Consumer Service answers on +376 875 600 and at [email protected], with an office on Camí de la Grau in Andorra la Vella. Keep every receipt, both for that and for customs.

If you’ve been robbed or have paid a fraudster, go to the police, on 110 or at their headquarters in Escaldes-Engordany, which takes reports 24 hours a day. The numbers and addresses are in is Andorra safe.