Beware of the Rubber Ducky Scam on Cruises

If you’ve been on a cruise, you may have noticed the trend of hiding and finding rubber ducks. It’s a fun way to add a little adventure to the trip—but where there’s a trend, there’s usually a scam lurking.

How the Rubber Ducky Scam Works

Scammers are using social media travel groups to pull off their latest trick. They’ll post photos of large collections of rubber ducks, claiming they were supposed to go on a cruise but can’t anymore.

🦆 The bait: “Who’s ready to hide my ducks? My cruise plans got cancelled!”

They then offer to send the ducks to another traveller in exchange for the postage cost. But once they get the money, they never send the ducks.

Related: Naked Cruise In Australia Arouses Controversy

Cruise Lines That Have Banned Rubber Ducks

While the duck-hunting trend itself isn’t a scam, some cruise lines have decided to ban the activity.

🚢 Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line have policies discouraging passengers from hiding ducks. While there are no serious consequences for those who do, it’s still best to follow the rules.

For most other cruises, duck hiding is still fair game—just be sure you’re not getting scammed before you set sail! 🦆⚓