Americans ages 50 and up say they plan to spend more than $6,650 dollars on vacations in 2024, and about half say they’ll spend more than in 2023, an AARP survey found.
Yet our vacation fantasies can have a dark side. Scammers can turn your dream trip into a financial nightmare: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 55,000 reports of fraud linked to travel, vacations and time-share plans in 2023, and travel is one of its top 10 fraud categories. Thirty percent of Americans have been scammed or know someone who’s fallen victim while booking or taking trips, and 34 percent lost $1,000 or more, according to a 2023 survey by online protection company McAfee.
Common travel scams
1. Fraudulent travel services online
There are loads of fake travel company websites touting hotels, car rentals or other services. You can often find clues (such as misspellings) that a site isn’t legit, but AI tools can help criminals create more professional-looking websites, without the typos and grammar mistakes, says attorney and scam authority Steven Weisman. Scammers create these sites “to lure you into clicking on malware-infected links or provid[ing] credit card or debit card information,” Weisman notes on his website, Scamicide.com.
2. Free trips and bargains from unsolicited sources
Bogus travel deals can arrive through emails, text messages, social media, postcards, robocalls and online pop-up ads. Even if they look real — some scammers copy the logos of legitimate businesses — treat these offers with extreme caution. They will typically advertise free trips to get your attention, then charge hundreds of dollars in fees and taxes, the FTC warns. Specifics about the trip are often missing: Instead you’ll see vague references to “five-star” resorts or “luxury” cruises (AARP offers specific advice on cruise scams). “If the organizer can’t or won’t give you more specific details, like the address of the hotel or the cruise company’s name, walk away,” the FTC states. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
To learn about other travel scams and warning signs, from AARP, CLICK HERE.
