Congratulations! You have been selected to win a luxury holiday .......
Where have you heard this before? Although there are many genuine travel offers, there are also many travel scams that defraud innocent travelers of millions of dollars each month. Travel is an expensive product and most people save money and even free travel. Unfortunately, it opens the door to some unscrupulous individuals and companies seeking to capitalize on this.
Travel packages are very different from that originally offered or what the "winner" expected. Sometimes, the company takes the money and runs! So if you receive a call or e-mail offering free or very cheap for the holidays, keep these tips in mind:
The most common travel scams
- Mail e-mails, phone calls, or mail reports that you have been selected to "win" free vacations, free airline tickets or hotel stay, especially when you do not entered anything.
- Classified ads great travel deals or discounts on the condition that you agree to a timeshare presentation. You will be subject to a sales pitch at high pressure that is not really worth your time - unless of course you're really interested in buying a timeshare!
- Travel Associations charge a fee for great discounts and offers. This is, of course, may legitimate travel clubs, but it is one of many who are not. Do your research and make sure it's worth it.
- Contests which do not send or issue regulations or requirements, or even information about the company running it. Competition law to issue orders to the participants and, if not, it's probably just a ploy to get information about yourself.
How to identify warning signs
- Is this the price seems too good to be true? If so, it probably is.
- Are you pressured to make a decision on the spot?
- Did you call after hours. Legitimate businesses normally operate between regular business hours .- Do they require you to pay before you receive any details about the trip, or ask you to pay for more information .- Are you told that you can not leave for two months? This should be cause for concern because the deadline for disputing a credit card charge is 60 days. - The supplier is identified simply as "a major airline," or "popular hotel" without going into details?
- If you won a free holiday, you should not have to pay hundreds of dollars to "claim" your prize.
How to protect against travel scams
- Determine the size of the rate in dollars, including all service charges, taxes, charges, fees, etc.
- Pay by credit card, if you get what you paid, you may be able to dispute payment with credit card.
- Do not be forced to buy something, even legitimate companies will not push you to make a purchase.
- Ask for a written receipt. If you book online, print the itinerary and receipt.
- Discover the exact names of hotels, airports, airlines and restaurants, in the box, if you say "big chain hotel" or "major airline" ask for details
- Always ask for a copy of the cancellation and refund .- If you are told you have won a free vacation, ask if you need to pay money for it.
- Be aware of what "access" can not get accommodation you want, whenever you want.
- Keep in mind that if you have been "specially selected to receive the offer Super Duper Travel Deal" does not mean that I get for free, this means you will be offered the option of paying for a travel contract!
And last but not least, is skeptical. Read or listen carefully to what is said, not what you want to hear. We would all like to win all expenses paid dream vacation to Hawaii, but like everything else, you get what you pay if you do not pay attention at first.
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