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There's nothing new under the sun - even on the World Wide Web. Love and loss; friends, family and flames; commerce and crime - it's all there. And when it comes to scams, a mark is still a mark, a sting is still a sting, and there's a sucker logging on every minute.
According to Mitch Katz, public affairs specialist at the Federal Trade Commission, travel scams have dropped off the FTC's Top 10 list of reported fraud cases in the past couple years, to less than 5100 reported scams nationwide. This may be due in part to the increase in other types of fraud, as well as to three FTC sweeps combating travel fraud in the past decade.
Nonetheless, The Independent Traveler has received a few inquiries from readers about some recent phone and email scams that arrived in their inboxes, fax machines, and home phones.
As red flags go up, so should your defenses.
A reader wrote us recently about a company offering 4 airline ticket vouchers for a 3 mos. membership of $289, but wanted a bank account routing number for payment:
"They wanted my checking account info in order to qualify me for the offer. I challenged the need for the checking info. They didn't want a credit card (said they had too many problems with them) and when I stood my ground they hung up."
This was a cold call - the company just rang the reader on the phone - requesting bank account information for something the reader didn't even seek out.
As you'll see below, that's three strikes - incredible offer, complicated transaction, no credit cards - time to hang up the phone.
Here's a look at some of the scams, some ideas on how to recognize a potential scam, and how to avoid them.
Rule # 1: The Fail-safe Rule
Is this: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This is the advice of crimefighters and scambusters the world over, and you can't go wrong with this one.
Free is never free; pretty much anything you get for free is an enticement to buy something else. Or, often enough, it's not free at all. If they say it's free, my suggestion is to find out how much it will cost you.
Some language to watch out for in Free Travel offers: first off, the word "offer." They may be offering you something for free; it's just not the trip. Some more: "restrictions apply," "taxes and fees," "subject to availability," "specially selected," "blackout dates," "affordable offer," etc.
Rule # 2: Avoid Complicated Transactions
An increasingly common scam, especially on Internet auction or classifieds sites, is one where someone promises to buy something from you, and to pay with a cashier's check for an amount greater than that they owe you, to cover any unexpected expenses you may have when shipping, or some other such reason. They ask that you send a check back for the remaining amount. You receive the cashier's check, pack the item, send them the balance, and a week later your bank notifies you that the check was a very good counterfeit, and there are no funds to back it up.
If the deal starts getting squirrelly in the details - send us a routing number, do this then we'll do that, we overpay you then you pay us back - skip it.
Which brings us to:
Rule # 3: Insist on Using a Credit Card
Your credit card company is the last line of defense against scammers; they can stop payment, reverse charges, and get your money back. If a travel company you don't know anything about insists on a check or cash, move on.
Common excuses for a company to request a check are:
Credit card fees cut into our income
We've had too many problems with credit cards
We're still applying for a merchant account
More Tips and Scam Tipoffs
If the trip or service is not available for two to three months, be wary; the deadline for credit card stop payments is 60 or 90 days.
If you think the offer may be a scam, ask for an address and phone number to contact them later after you think about it. If they insist the deal is available only during the phone call, skip it.
Ask for a detailed itinerary, including all fees, cancellation policies and charges, in writing before paying.
A good-looking Web site does not equate to a reputable company. A domain name costs $35, hosting a few bucks/month, and very good Web-authoring software a couple hundred bucks. A good scam artist can recover this outlay by fleecing you just once. (The FTC maintains "teaser sites" that look like real travel Web sites, but are actually consumer education sites that point to "You Could Get Scammed!" pages pointing back to the FTC. For one such site, see EZ Travels.)
Ain't nothing that comes free. If they say it's free, my suggestion is to find out how much it will cost you.
When It Sounds Even Better Than True
The following story isn't a travel story, but goes to the core of what you're up against, and why your best defense is to hang up, just say no, tell the scammer to scram.
Scammers are bold; some will say anything and take any tack in their zeal to fleece you, including impersonating government officials and police officers.
My example: a very common scam used to be the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) scam. Someone calls you, talking very fast about helping your local police force, promising stickers for your car - very aggressive, and authoritative in tone. It happens fast, and sometimes the stickers show up - sometimes not.
My Pop was a police captain, and I asked him what to do about these calls. We were at a party, and we were standing with the retired chief of police, and both immediately said "don't do it; if you want to give to your local police organization, call them directly." Scammers are bold - they figure if they pose as police officers, you'll be afraid that, if you don't pony up, you'll get a ticket next time out, or they won't protect your house from crime, or at least that you'll feel guilty for failing to supporting your local.
My standard reply now: "My father was a police captain, and advised me not to give to phone solicitations for the PBA. I'll stop by the precinct." They usually hang up quickly; I pick up the phone and call the real PBA.
Travel consumers should take a similar tack, and "stop by" the travel providers they know and trust.
For more fraud-fighting tips, see Avoiding Travel Scams.
To discuss this and other Traveler's Ed articles, visit the Traveler's Ed Message Board.
Go Anyway,
Ed Hewitt
TravelersEd@aol.com
Features Editor
The Independent Traveler
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