The following was originally posted to our old Forum:
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Mike Leco
USATourist Administrator
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 101
Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
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 Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2004 2:09 pm Post subject: Travel Fraud on Florida Vacations |
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We have seen a lot of travel fraud on the Internet over the past few years. Some of it involves free vacations or cheap vacations to Disney World or to Florida. Unfortunately, many of the Internet advertisement saying that you won a free vacation end up being fraudulent.
These schemes typically include an advertisement that says you won a free vacation; or they offer you a cheap vacation to some desirable destination like Florida or Disney World. When you telephone to claim your prize, they tell you that you must pay some small charges; and they get you to reveal your credit card information.
In the worst cases, your credit card is charged some amount, and you receive nothing. More typically, they do provide some vacation package, but the accommodations may be sub standard and worth less than you paid. When you complain, you are often ignored or the company refuses to respond. Many of these businesses are gone before you can collect any vacation or any refund.
Be very careful when responding to such advertisements. Do not give out your credit card information until you have checked on the legitimacy of the business owner. Try to get the name and adress of the business offering the vacations. You can check the Better Business Bureau in the city or state where the business is located to determine if there have been any complaints about them.
If you feel that you have been cheated by a fraudulent vacation operator, you can usually file a complaint with the attorney general of the state where the business is located. Sadly, that may not get your money back, but it may prevent other people from suffering the same loss. | |