More than a third of Americans are planning to take a vacation. As the prices of hotels and flights surge during this time, scammers are hoping to take advantage of travelers’ desperation for a cheap deal.
But beware! According to a survey done by McAfee, 1 in 3 people say they’ve fallen for a travel scam, with a third of them losing $1,000 or more.
Some common scams include fake travel websites offering cheap deals, “free” vacation offers with hidden fees, and rental scams with non-existent or different accommodations than what was advertised.
“They’ll show these gorgeous pictures of property and then you’ll get there, either the property is being repaired, it’s next to a dump, your room overlooks to garbage pickup area or an alley,” said Bob Cook, Director of Sales for GoTo Travel.
If you are thinking of booking an Airbnb, beware of this scam! You find a great place, contact the “host,” and they send you a link to other properties. Looks legit, right?
Wrong. You wire money, but Airbnb has no record of your booking. You’ve been scammed!
Always, always book directly through the official Airbnb website. Don’t click links from hosts.
The FTC is warning that deals that sound too good to be true, like “last minute” or “free” trips, could be a trap.
Scammers might offer amazing prices but won’t tell you where you’re staying. Before you book, do your homework! Research the company, check out the hotels and airlines yourself, and never pay with a wire transfer or gift card. Use a credit card, it’s safer.
Research thoroughly before you sign or pay for anything by reading online reviews to see if there have been complaints about the company.
Also, check whether there have been a lot of reviews posted all at once. This could be a sign you are dealing with a fake company.
One more tip: never pay with cryptocurrency. If you are asked to only pay using this method, it is likely a scam, and you’ll have no way to track your money when it is gone.