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AUSTIN (KXAN) – As people prepare for vacation trip, Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns of travel fraud. Before the pandemic stalled travel, Americans lost nearly half a million dollars to travel fraud during the 2019 October through December holiday season.
“As travelers cement their plans and contact rental locations, travel agents, or hotels, BBB wants to warn Texas residents to be careful about interacting with people using aggressive sales tactics or promoting a business that seems too good to be true, “said BBB Vice President of Communications Heather Massey serving the Heart of Texas.
The BBB does its best to book and plan your travel plans as far in advance as possible to avoid ending up in a pinch and not giving you time to research a company and potential travel offers.
The BBB says the most common travel frauds are as follows:
- Vacation Rental Fraud: Look out for red flags like the “owner” who creates a false sense of urgency and says that another vacationer is interested in the rental. It is best to book through a reputable rental apartment website.
- “Free” vacation fraud: If a cruise or travel company advertises a vacation as “free”, it does not necessarily mean that the trip is actually free. Watch out for additional fees.
- Hotel fraud: When staying in a hotel, watch out for scammers who can get credit card information by pretending to call the front desk, hack into “free” Wi-Fi connections, and pose as room service or fake food delivery.
- Third party booking site fraud: If you are booking parts of your trip through a third party website, make sure you do your research. BBB Scam Tracker continues to receive reports of scammers posing as online airline ticket brokers. The most common type of fraud, travelers pay with a credit card and shortly after paying they receive a phone call from the company asking them to verify their name, address, bank details, or other personal information – something a legitimate company would never do .
- Cons of Timeshare Resale: A timeshare owner trying to sell receives a call from someone claiming to be a real estate agent or broker. These scammers claim they specialize in timeshare resale and promise to have buyers ready to buy. In order to secure this service, the scammer pushes the target to pay an upfront fee. The timeshare owner pays, but the reseller never delivers.
The BBB says the best way to make sure you don’t fall victim to scams is to get the travel details in writing, look out for deals that are too good to be true, or refrain from transferring any money use a prepaid debit card. Call the landlord and make sure to speak to the person who really owns the property and be tired of unsolicited offers.
If you or someone you know is a victim of travel scam, report it to BBB Scam Tracker.
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