Travel Scams Highest In Spring Season

During the busy spring break season and the start to summer vacations; nobody is really safe from the scams that surround the travel industry. From families, grandparents at home, to college students on spring break; everyone is a target. No particular demographic is singled out in this case. Travelers beware, here you will find some of the common travel scams to watch out for, and prevent from happening to you.

Spring break is the time to put away the books and take a break from studying. Many young men and women find themselves traveling to Florida during the spring break season. In Florida, there have been many complaints about scams before travelers even begin to pack. A top scam here comes from travel companies that overly promote destinations in which travelers eventually find to be less appealing than promised.

Another travel scam that targets grandparents which is referred to as the “granny scam” or “emergency scam” is when crooks obtain information about young travelers through social networking, or from belongings left on beach blankets such as I.Ds or Drivers Licenses. As soon as they get ahold of this information, the fraudsters will reach out and contact grandparents of the young traveler and pose as either the grandchild him/herself or claim to be a fellow traveling friend of the grandchild. They might even go as far as to pretend to be a person of authority requesting money be wired to them to post bail or get them out of an emergency situation.

Yet another scam similar to the “Granny/Emergency Scam” is one that comes via the internet through a hacked email account. In this email, the scam artist will claim to be a relative who will tell you their story of being mugged, or losing all their money on vacation somehow. They will then of course ask you to wire them money to get them out of their utterly unfortunate predicament. Before you even think of sending a dime, pick up the phone and call said relative. If they don’t answer, contact a friend who you know is traveling along with them.

There are resources to utilize and of course precautions you and your loved ones should take prior to any trips you take away from each other to prevent scams like these from happening to you. One of the best resources overseas travelers can use is the State Departments Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. The program helps travelers have the ability to be reached at any time in case of any emergency that may occur back home. Also, remember that having a plan with your loved ones is the best thing you can do to prevent these situations. Make your loved ones aware of your hotel information, phone numbers of those traveling with you, and any other alternative contact information you can provide; besides of course always touching base back home with friends and family.

In our world today it seems as though we are surrounded by scams. No matter what industry we refer to. The timeshare industry is another top industry for scammers to take advantage. First, you are not only practically scammed into signing a timeshare contract; you then have to worry about being scammed trying to get out of your timeshare by resale companies who claim they can sell your timeshare immediately for upfront fees. Don’t let yourself become a victim of these scams. Never allow a company to charge you any upfront fees prior to obtaining their services. Get out of your timeshare maintenance fees and special assessments now with Transfer on the Spot; we will not request upfront fees. We are not a resale company.