Expert tips to avoid travel scams this summer

(InvestigateTV) — More than 55,000 Americans reported travel scams in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), with consumer watchdogs issuing new warnings for travelers.

The Better Business Bureau® (BBB) is one of them, warning consumers to be mindful of scammers looking to capitalize on vacation plans.

Melanie McGovern with the BBB said one common scheme is for fraudsters to impersonate third-party travel sites.

“We’re seeing a lot of what we think are third party legitimate sites. Hotel booking sites, travel booking sites popping up. And people are booking rooms, thinking they’re booking rooms, and then the reservation is canceled or its not there when they get there,” she explained. “So, we’re encouraging people to look at the web site to see if it’s legitimate”

To avoid these scams, McGovern advised to only book hotels through official websites, watch out for misleading ads and research businesses you aren’t familiar with. If there is a booking site that looks professional but has a name people don’t recognize, proceed with caution.

Those looking for a good deal on a flight should be aware of discounted sellers or additional charges to confirm bookings, McGovern said.

She also urged consumers to also be mindful of who they contact if they run into trouble.

“Unfortunately, we’ve received scam reports that people have done a search while at an airport in a tight situation and the first number that popped up, they thought was a customer service number, but it turned out to be a scammer. And then they paid the scammer with their credit card, thinking they were rebooking a flight and they didn’t rebook that flight. So, they were out the money and didn’t have that flight,” she shared. “So, when you’re looking for that customers service number, you need to scroll down, look closely to make sure that it is the exact airline and it is the real website before you start talking to the customers service person.”

McGovern also reminded travelers that a little grace goes a long way when experiencing flight disruptions.

“It’s extremely important,” she said. “Even if the line is long and you don’t want to wait in the customer service line, sometimes that is the difference between getting on a flight or being stuck. So, pack your patience, make sure you’re doing that search correctly.”

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