Scam artists

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Technology has become a part of our everyday life and resourceful scam artists are finding more ways to target you. They are using the Internet and e-mail as well as traditional mailing to entice unsuspecting consumers. And unfortunately, they’re being quite successful. To help you identify potential travel scams, I want to share the following tips.

• Be very skeptical about postcards and phone solicitations which say you’ve been selected to receive a fabulous vacation but which provide few details about the trip.
• Never give your credit card number to a company unless you have used it in the past and are confident about its legitimacy. Be sure you have received complete information in writing before giving any form of payment. These details should clearly indicate the total price, cancellation and change penalties, and information on all components of the offer.
• Beware of travel offers that are big on pictures and promises of great deals, but are skimpy on details. This is a red flag to alert you of a possible scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Typically, scam operators won’t include the complete details of their offer until you’ve paid for the trip. Once they’ve received your information, you learn of all the restrictions and conditions that make it more costly or even impossible to take the trip.

Using a travel agent is ALWAYS a great idea. Not only have we visited the destinations you want to see, but we’ve also stayed in the hotels, slept in the beds, taken the tours, and built personal relationships with the local businesses. The world’s best travel search engine isn’t the internet. It’s your travel agent.

 

Happy Traveling