Travel Fraud Scams
Travel
Fraud scams have increased greatly with the introduction of the Internet. There
are now many Internet travel agencies. Some of these agencies are simply
operating to rip the consumer off. It is logical that an Internet travel agency,
without the overhead costs of offices, can offer cheaper travel deals. However,
scam artists are taking advantage of this fact.
Cheap
trips are often marketed to the unsuspecting consumer. The trip the consumer
takes often turns out not to be the trip that was marketed. This includes lower
quality hotels and transport than what the consumer was expecting.
Another
ploy of the scam artists is to hide the associated costs of the ‘cheap'
trip. Flights to departure points, taxes, accommodation and activity costs may
be hidden from the consumer, although it may appear these costs are included
within the price of the trip.
Some
extreme cases involve a fictitious travel agency marketing cheap trips, the trip
sounds great, at a low price and is the perfect holiday for consumers and their
families, or so they think. It is often these fictitious travel agencies that
market their products via unsolicited emails. The idea is to send the email to
as many people as possible, to increase the chance of consumer purchases of
their fraudulent product.
These
scam artists require payment by bank transfer or another method, but do not like
credit card payments and, indeed, will often not accept them at all. They simply
want the cash. Consumers end up receiving nothing in return for their money.
Prevention
Never
respond to any unsolicited email offering great travel deals. These are often
fraudulent, and simply replying to these emails verifies that you have an active
email address, resulting in more unwanted emails.
If you
are tempted by a cheap travel deal offered by an Internet travel agency, always
do your research. Research both the company that is offering the trip, and also
the trip itself with other travel agents. You may be able to get the same trip
cheaper than the cheap trip being offered.
Be aware
of any restrictions associated with the travel. Always read the fine print to
see what is included and what isn't included, and what travel date restrictions
may be part of the deal.
Always
pay by credit card. Credit Cards are the safest way to pay for travel online as
you can always dispute the charges if you don't receive the services promised or
if the offer was misrepresented. If you have paid by another method, your
chances of recovering any money are small.
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