How to Protect Against Vacation Fraud
Often we make some great vacation plans with friends and family only to find out that the reservations, tickets or facilities were not paid for by the travel agent due to fraud. Other times you might take a decent vacation only to find out your credit card has been used an individual or company overseas by illegally adding extra charges or not forwarding the payments you already made in advance. If you are looking at ways to protect yourself against vacation fraud then there are a few simple methods that you can use to help.
Instructions
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1
Too good to be true:
If you see a vacation package that includes airfare and other amenities for an extremely low price which seems too good to be true then it is probably a fraud. The low price is used to entice people in to using their credit cards and booking this fraudulent vacation package. Avoid these so called deals as it is better to be safe than sorry. -
2
Reputable travel agency:
Only use reputable travel agencies that are known to be financial strong and professional. Although they might be a little more expensive, using a reputable travel agency to take care of your vacation plans is always the best method to protect against fraud. -
3
Get references:
Check with your family and friends for a list of different travel agencies that they have used in the past and were satisfied with the services. Use this as reference while you are searching for a reputable travel agency. -
4
Research:
Do as much research about all the different agents or agencies that you are looking to use for your vacation packages. Go online and look for reviews by other customers and also for any type of fraud or scam that has been reported about a particular company. Most of this information is available on the internet. Before booking any package or using any travel agency, try to research about the owners of these agencies. If you see anything that looks shady or if there are negative reviews by previous companies, then avoid them at all cost. Also, look in to the different hotels or affiliated companies that are attached to a particular vacation package. -
5
Compare prices:
Be sure to compare prices for any vacation package that you might be interested in. Most of the time extremely low prices can usually be a good indicator of fraud or a scam. -
6
Check payments:
If you use your credit card then carefully check your bills to protect from vacation fraud. You can also buy some travel insurance or buyer protection to help you from scams.
