Scams prey on budget-conscious travelers looking for great deals on getaways. Be sure by first get your facts right at VerifyPhone.com
Palm City, FL (PRWEB) October 25, 2011
According to a recent report from Fox News, travel scams cost U.S. consumers more than $10 billion each year. And, of the 3,900 industries the Better Business Bureau monitors, travel consistently ranks in the top 25 of number of complaints received.
Before consumers book their next trip they should become familiar with the most prevalent travel scams that are bilking travelers out of millions of dollars.
Avoid Discount Travel Memberships or Clubs: Often surfacing on the web, these ads ask travelers to pay an upfront membership fee in exchange for having exclusive access to discounted travel deals. But in reality consumers pay the upfront fee only to discover that they get nothing in return but a dent in their pocketbook. These scams can be easily set up by anyone with internet access and can be found in online classifieds like Craigslist and others.
Watch Out for Misleading Pricing: Some fraudulent businesses will lure consumers in with low prices only to discover extra charges on their credit cards and that their reservations have never been booked. By the time the victim notices that something is amiss the con-artists are long gone.
Beware of Timeshare Fraud: Timeshare scammers use high pressure sales tactics over the phone to dupe consumers into making hasty decisions without doing adequate research to determine if the offer or the business is legitimate. Timeshare scams often come in the form of an unsolicited phone call, once they have a gullible consumer on the line they will tell them anything to close the deal.
Vacation Packages Targeting College Students: College students are often targeted by scammers because typically they do very little research, they rely largely on peer recommendations and they are drawn to the cheapest option available. All-Inclusive trips for a low rate attract co-eds looking for a memorable Spring Break or group vacation with their friends. All too often these “good deals” are scams and can lead to students handing over what little money they have to scammers.
VerifyPhone.com offers the following advice to help consumers avoid falling victim to travel scams:
- Use VerifyPhone.com to investigate calls from unsolicited callers that are offering a vacation or timeshare deal. Its phone directory online helps consumers verify information about the people or businesses associated with the phone numbers. Consumers can also search for reviews/complaints lodged against the number in question on VerifyPhone.com for free. For example you can check the phone number reviews in area codes around you @ Los Angeles, California Phone Lookup. Make an informed decision once you have all the data in hand.
- Use common sense. Consumers should never let the thrill of a good deal pressure them into making uninformed decisions. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- If using a travel agency, consumers should always call the hotel and verify that the agency has made the reservation on their behalf.
- Request everything in writing. Legitimate businesses and offers will provide detailed information about vacation packages or timeshares in writing. Do not give out personal information to anyone over the phone before seeing documentation of what they are selling.
- Be very cautious when using online classifieds. Often they are not regulated which makes it very easy for scammers to offer bogus deals.
- Always pay with credit card, which provides consumers with fraudulent charges. Never wire money or pay with cash or a cashier’s check.
- Above all, share your experience by reporting it on VerifyPhone.com’s free phone review feature so that nobody else falls prey to such scams.
About:
VerifyPhone.com is the perfect combination of an online public directory and a highly specialized service, offering its users access to all the information they need. From reviews of local businesses and reports of abusive callers to area code lookups & detailed lookups of landlines and cellphones, VerifyPhone.com provides the entire range of services. Our goal is to provide high quality services with new & significant content every day. Visit our company blog for more useful tips.
Contact:
For further information, please contact pr at verifyphone.com.
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Frank Thomas
VerifyPhone.com
(302) 372-0215
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