Making vacation plans? If so, remember that today’s online world, which makes travel planning easier… also makes it easy for fraudsters to scam you. Scammers often target travelers through fake vacation rentals, bogus travel deals, phishing schemes, and other methods designed to steal money or personal information.
One of the latest and more common travel scams involves vacation rental fraud. Scammers post fake listings — with images often copied from legitimate websites — at prices that seem too good to be true. Victims are asked to pay 50% or more upfront using wire transfers or peer-to-peer payment apps, only to discover the property doesn’t exist or is already occupied. Other scam methods include deeply discounted flight or vacation packages offered by fake travel agencies, and phishing emails claiming you’ve won a “free” trip that leads to a fraudulent booking site.
Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect yourself as you plan:
- Be cautious of deeply discounted deals, especially deep discounts you can’t find anywhere else. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Only use trusted travel websites.
- Pay only with a credit card. If you're told the only payment accepted for the travel reservation is through wire transfer, gift cards, payment apps, or crypto currency, it is usually a scam. Once you’ve sent money through one of those alternate payment services, it’s nearly impossible to get it back.
- Verify the listing, and check terms and cancellation policies. Confirm dates, locations, and fees. For example, if a property is listed as being part of a resort, be sure to call the resort directly to verify details.
- Ignore unsolicited “free vacation” offers. Don’t click links or give personal information.
If you’ve fallen victim to a scam, contact your financial institution immediately to protect your accounts. Then, report it to the FTC at reportfraud@ftc.gov and to your State Attorney General.
