Traveler scams can cost you money and ruin your vacation, but the results can be much worse. A hacker or thief who gains access to your personal information can steal your identity without your knowledge, in which case you could spend thousands of dollars and years to get back on your feet.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), many travel scams start with a phone call, a text message, or a flyer in the mail. Any of these messages may promise you a free vacation or a luxury cruise at a dramatically reduced price. Catch? They need your credit card to guarantee the booking, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“You may end up paying hidden fees, or worse, after you pay, you may find out it’s all a scam,” writes the FTC.
Other common travel scams come in many forms, from broken or missing taxi meters to vacation home scams and scam charter flight offers. Either way, you need to know what these scammers are and how they work if you want to avoid them.
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