An Independent HelmsBriscoe Associate | 636-678-7661 | jstone@helmsbriscoe.com

Jill Stone

Your Meeting Matchmaker Fairy Godmother

Summer Travel Scams

in: Travel and Hospitality

travel scams

If anyone deserves a vacation, it’s you Meeting Planner!

Here is a heads up on what’s going down with the latest travel scams.

  • P2P or Peer-to-Peer: Some folks are opting to rent a house, loft or apartment as a unique and cost saving alternative to hotels. Airnb came about and this trend has caught on like wildfire. Unfortunately, not all sites have your best interest in mind. Make sure the site offers guarantees, refunds and protection from fraud. If the site wants you to provide payment outside of the website, stay away. Also, if they require cash, money order or wire transfer, just say no. The site should absolutely accept credit cards.
  • Time to Sell Time Shares: If a company contacts you on behalf of a buyer who wishes to buy your time share, and for a great profit at that, beware! The scam is that you will first be required to pay expenses required “ to close the sale”. Your money will disappear, and the buyer will never appear, don’t fall for it.
  • Front Desk Calling: If the front desk calls to confirm your payment information, hang up. You can always call the front desk on your own or stop by the front desk to find if they do in fact need any confirmation.
  • Hard Luck Traveler: If you are approached, emailed, called, or sent a message via social media by someone claiming to be stranded and needing help, back off. The story will more than likely be extraordinary, but not reflect anything even close to the truth.
  • Watch Out Wi-Fi: If you need to access Wi-Fi, make sure you are connecting to a reliable source. Talk with a company representative to ensure you have the correct network, and not a network with a similar name. Scammers will set up connections with a name that is very similar to an actual network, and then ask for your credit card information.

Be safe and travel well, Meeting Planners!

More from Jill: