“Traveling Soon? Do it Scam Free” Better Business Bureau®

We are all tired of winter and want to go to some place warm for a week or more. Before you pay any money for your get-away, make sure you aren’t being scammed.

Check out some of the top signs of a possible travel scam by Mark Kahler at budgettravel.about.com/od/planningtoolsstrategies/tp/ten_scam.htm.

1. Advance payment is required without written contract. Make sure you have a contract that states the product(s) you are paying for.
2. Transactions by courier service rather than the post office. To avoid mail fraud statutes, some con artists will stay away from the post office.
3. Transaction can only be carried out by telephone. Hard to get a contract this way. Ask them why they are using just the telephone. You’ll probably get an evasive answer.
4. Offer is for a limited time only. True, you can get airline tickets for a limited time only. But, if they are saying pay now for a trip 60 days out, be suspicious. Sixty days is the time limit for disputing credit card charges at many banks.
5. A price far below market value. Why are you getting such a great deal on a trip they won’t make any money on? Won’t happen. Are there other charges they will add on? Will you be a target for a high-pressure sales pitch?

Read more: http://southerncolorado.bbb.org/post/travel-scam-free-9940

About the BBB

The Better Business Bureau, founded in 1912, is a champion for ethics and trust in the marketplace. Only businesses that meet the high BBB standards are invited to become BBB Accredited Businesses. Today, 123 BBBs across the United States and Canada rate more than 4 million local and national businesses and charities with scores ranging from A+ to F. Only a BBB Accredited Business may elect to participate in BBBOnLine, one of the most trusted and recognized Internet seal programs in the world. The BBB serving northern Colorado and Wyoming topped 1.1 million instances of service to consumers and businesses in the last 12 months. These services include reliability reports on local companies and charities, access to companies that can be trusted by industry, help with dispute resolution, and trustworthy information on consumer and business topics. Luanne Kadlub, BBB media relations manager, 970-488-2044 [email protected]  

Find out more about the Manitoba Better Business Bureau here.