How to Avoid Travel Scams

By Susan M. Keenan

Travel scams are a fact of life. Fraudulent offers about wonderful and exotic trips arrive at our homes through the postal mail, telephone calls, faxes, and e-mails. They are so tempting that consumers simply want to believe that they are true. In fact, honest individuals who haven’t been tainted with a large dose of cynicism yet, have no reason to suspect that the offers are anything less than legitimate.

Even though complaints about travel scams flood the FTC, or Federal Trade Commission, every year, the offers continue. Typically, travel scams are inexpensive to orchestrate, and this is one reason for their popularity by scammers. Unfortunately, once a consumer makes the unfortunate mistake of falling for a travel scam, it is quite costly for them.

At first glance, the travel packages being touted by the scam are quite legitimate looking. The letterheads are designed to resemble well known companies, and the information is presented in a professional manner. Aiding in this impression is the simple fact that the recipient must respond quickly in order to benefit from this too good to be true deal of a lifetime. The consumer doesn’t have time to think about the legitimacy of the offer because he or she is too busy trying to decide if they should jump on board or pass up this golden opportunity.

The enticements are many and include all of the amenities that a person could ever wish to have. Cruises, deluxe suites, sauna and spa packages, and golfing trips- you think of one, and the travel scam has probably already been introduced for it. Further convincing the consumer to purchase the trip for whatever small fee is listed is the promise of a money back guarantee that forgets to mention that the down payment is nonrefundable or subject to other requirements.

The scams vary in details, costs, and promises. Some of them actually produce real accommodations, just not what was described in the package information. Other scams never produce the tickets or follow up information. Either way, the consumer has been taken for a ride that he or she would rather have done without. Several preventative steps can be taken to avoid travel scams entirely. If consumers practice common sense and think before they sign the dotted line, it is possible to avoid most travel scams.

Tips to avoid travel scams:

• Deal with a reputable company each time that you make plans to travel. Select a familiar company. It’s best to use a travel company that you or someone you know has had positive contact with before. Record the company’s full name, address, and phone number for easy reference.

• Do not respond to an unsolicited offer for a trip.

• If an offer for a vacation of a lifetime sounds too good to be true, realize that it probably is.

• If you are starting from scratch because you don’t have any prior experience with travel companies, do a bit of research. Contact the Better Business Bureau that is located in the same city as the travel company. Additionally, you can contact the Better Business Bureau where you live. If a history of complaints exists on the travel company, select a different one to use.

• Once you have made arrangements for your trip, ask to receive all of the details of the trip in writing before you pay the bill. If the company refuses to accommodate your request or if something is not correct, then do not pay until it is corrected.

• Request explanations and specific details. If the travel agent uses words that are open to interpretation, ask for the specific details. For example, ask exactly what “luxury” or “deluxe” means. One person’s concept of luxury may be quite different from another’s idea. It can simply mean a soft bed, clean sheets, and a full bathroom, or it can mean hot tub, king size bed with extra pillows, cable television, in house sauna, room delivery, and more.

• Call the hotel or place of lodgings to make a few inquiries. Verify the exact details of your reservations and the nature of your accommodations.

• Pay for your purchase with a major credit card. Major credit card companies often allow you to dispute charges. Once you arrive on destination, if it does not meet your expectations, file a complaint with the travel agency and with your credit card company.

• Never purchase a trip through a company whose agents use high-pressure tactics. High pressure tactics include: sign now, because it won’t be available later, sign now or the price goes up, or only one trip package remains and is available for purchase.

• Don’t believe in a trip package that seems too good to be true. If the trip is below market cost, offers too many bonuses, or has other unrealistic features, then it simply isn’t a legitimate offer.

• Do not purchase a trip through a company that insists acquiring additional credit card numbers and social security numbers.

• If the trip package requires overnight service for payment, pass the offer by without a second thought. It simply does not work that way.

• Do not respond to unsolicited offers for vacations, no matter how legitimate they appear to be. Reputable companies rely on word of mouth to acquire business, and usually have an office.

© Doityourself.com 2006