BBB Tip: Avoiding travel scams while planning for spring break – Victoria Advocate

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Some clouds. Low near 50F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..
Some clouds. Low near 50F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: March 2, 2022 @ 7:12 pm
Katie Galan
Katie Galan
Spring break offers families and college students an opportunity to travel during a vacation from school. However, it also provides a chance for scammers to offer fraudulent vacation rentals, third-party booking sites and travel agencies designed to appeal to the consumer looking to getaway.
With spring break for many school districts occurring within the next month, many consumers are making their travel plans and finalizing payments, some of which will fall directly into the hands of con artists.
From February – March 31, 2021, U.S. consumers lost nearly $160,000 to travel scams at an average of almost $3,200 per report, according to data provided from BBB Scam Tracker. Scammers often take advantage of consumer habits and capitalize on trending internet searches, enticing consumers with great deals to popular destinations or all-inclusive packages. While these scams persist year-round, they often increase in frequency during periods of increased travel, such as spring break and the holiday or summer season.
So far this year, U.S. consumers have reported over $80,000 lost to travel scams – a 187% increase in monetary losses compared to the same period in 2021. According to reports on the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, travel-related fraud cost U.S. consumers $74.7 million in losses and accounted for 27% of all fraud reported to the agency in the first three quarters of 2021.
“The best way to avoid falling for a travel scam is to begin planning early, so you are not rushing to make last-minute arrangements,” said Heather Massey, vice president of communications for Better Business Bureau serving the Heart of Texas. “Scammers capitalize on consumers who are in a hurry and may not have the time to verify they are booking with a legitimate location or business. Always verify and be sure to check for customer complaints or reviews on BBB.org.”
To assist consumers in identifying and avoiding the most common travel scams, BBB provides the following brief descriptions of the top five most-reported travel scams:
Vacation rental con.
“Free” vacation scams.
Third-party booking site scams.
Timeshare reselling cons.
To avoid becoming a victim of a travel scam this spring break, Better Business Bureau recommends prospective travelers follow these guidelines:
Get trip details in writing.
“Too good to be true” deals.
Avoid wiring money or using a prepaid debit card.
Call the rental owner.
Unsolicited offers.
For more tips on how to avoid travel scams, visit BBB.org/Travel.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a travel scam, report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Information provided could prevent another person from falling victim.
Katie Galan is the regional driector for BBB serving the Heart of Texas. She can be reached at 844-222-4968, Ext. [email protected].

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Mike Gomez said:
Thanks Dan, It’s hard to believe in this hyper-partisan nation we live in, 78% approved of the speech. I saw t as a step back to normalcy.
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