A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

July 1, 2021

TRAVEL SCAMS

Courtesy AARP

How It Works

Crooks set up look-alike travel and booking sites in hopes you will book with them rather than your intended company. They create fake vacation-rental listings, which are often altered from real listings that they have stolen from legitimate sites.

Often, bogus travel sites appear high up in search rankings because scammers buy and pay for promotion. Listings at a lower-than-expected price could be a sign that it’s not legitimate.

The typical request is for you to pay in advance with something other than a credit card when the listing is fraudulent.

What You Can Do

 *Be skeptical of any pitch that offers a cut-rate hotel, airline or car rental that seems too good to be true.

*Vet travel reservation sites or agents before you book. First conduct a web search on the company name (along with the word “scam” or “complaint”) and check to see if the listing shows up elsewhere. Also check out reviews on popular review sites.

*Pay for travel reservations and bookings with a credit card, which offers greater protections than peer-to-peer apps or other forms of payment.

To report any fraudulent conduct call AARP: 877-908-3360