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Common Online
Frauds & Scams
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Travel
- Beware of
unsolicited emails for travel.
They are often fraudulent The
best approach is simply to delete the email.
- Beware of
the word “Free”. A “free” or
incredibly cheap trip may have hidden costs. For instance, the
cruise may be free, but you have to pay to fly to the departure
point and stay in a hotel at your own expense. Or you may have to
endure a long, high-pressure sales pitch for a timeshare or travel
club membership as part of the trip.
- Beware of
the Deal. You may find that a travel offer requires you to
make reservations through a specific company and that the costs
are higher than they would be if you used your own travel agent or
made the arrangements yourself. Or the offer may be valid only if
you bring a companion along at full fare.
- Beware of
restrictions. Often the best travel deals are only available
for off-peak times, not during school vacations, holidays or other
popular travel dates. You may find it hard to get the promised
price for the dates that you want to travel, or there may be no
space available on those dates at all.
- Beware how
you pay. Always pay
with a credit card. Fraudulent travel operators take the money and
run, and even legitimate companies can suddenly go out of
business. Credit cards are the safest way to pay
for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you
never get the services you were promised or the offer was
misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if
someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most
credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the
problem promptly. There are new technologies, such as
“substitute” credit card numbers and password programs, that can offer extra measures of
protection from someone else using your credit card.
- Confirm the
arrangements. If transportation and hotel are included in the
travel package, ask how to contact those companies and confirm
with them directly that the reservations have been made.
- Do your own
travel research. It’s easy to get information from a
local travel agent and other sources such as newspapers, books,
and the Internet. You may be able to get the trip you want for far
less than the “bargain” price a company is
offering.
Information on this website is provided by Chris Triolo, additional
information on internet Frauds and Scams can be found at www.FBI.gov or www.nclnet.org
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