# Tags
#Financial

Stay Scam Free However Far You Roam

Avoid vacation scams this holiday season

By Andrew Rayo – Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

Planning to travel this holiday season? No matter where youโ€™re going (over the river and through the woods), how youโ€™re getting there (planes, trains, and automobiles), or where youโ€™re staying (home for the holidays), here are the scams to avoid along the way.

Just in time for a holiday vacation, you might think youโ€™ve won a vacation. Except the organizer says to pay a fee to get your prize. And just like that, you spotted the scam, because real prizes are free. Anyone asking you to pay for a prize is a scammer.

Like the hottest toys on the market, rental cars are in high demand. If you suddenly find an available car for cheap, know that scammers are looking to cash in on the fear of missing out. Check it out before you bite. And if someone asks you to pre-pay for a rental with a gift card or prepaid debit card, itโ€™s a scam.

Looking for a place to ring in the new year? Like with rental cars, scammers hijack real rental listings – changing the contact information and reposting listings on different sites. Then they ask you to pay for fees, deposits, or rent using a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram. Some scammers also list places that donโ€™t actually exist.

Hereโ€™s how to avoid scams while planning your trip:

Do some research. If youโ€™re looking to rent, search the rental companyโ€™s name, plus words like โ€œscam,โ€ โ€œreview,โ€ or โ€œcomplaint.โ€

Spot rental listing scams. Look for the name of the rental company and search their website – using a link you know is real – to see if the property is listed there, too. If it isnโ€™t, the listing is likely a scam.

Pay by credit card, which gives you the best protection. Scammers want you to pay in ways that make it hard to get your money back – like wire transfers through Western Union or MoneyGram, cash, cryptocurrency, or payment apps.

Traveling is stressful enough, so tell the FTC about scams you see by visiting ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Andrew Rayo is a Consumer Education Specialist at the Federal Trade Commission.

ip Staff Report

Stay Scam Free However Far You Roam

Practicing Patience

Stay Scam Free However Far You Roam

Eastman Taps Longview, Texas

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *