Whether you’re in the hunt for a great hotel at for your next vacation or looking to buy a camper or motorcycle to get in some adventure this summer; consumer experts warn your best defense against a scam is being an informed consumer.
"Approximately 15 million online scams happened last year when it came to hotel scam bookings that's a lot I can't even comprehend that," said Dean Listle with Secure Retirement Solutions.
Listle recommends sticking to well known and secure travel sites and do your own research on the resort, hotel or company you’re working with.
“You can go online and find a lot of review websites to find out if they are legitimate and also you can check on the hotel it's self," said Listle.
The Better Business Bureau offers a scam tracker to empower consumers. It’s a crowd sourced database of consumer reports across the country, state and locally.
"It's really helpful for you as a consumer to empower yourself what's happening in my area," said Susan Bach with the Better Business Bureau. "We get calls every day from people who are inquiring about a suspicious phone call or letter or email. It's just non-stop."
Both Listle and Bach says when it comes to travel scams watch out for phone calls or letters claiming that you've "won a trip" or websites offering prices that are too good to be true.
Another tip, protect your money by paying with a credit card. Credit companies often allow you to dispute false charges.
Another summer scam leaving many consumers unhappy are those targeting adventurous types looking to buy a kayak, camper or motorcycle...
The BBB says watch out for the classic example of what they call a phony ad scam. Scammers will copy legitimate ads and repost them.
- The price is very low.
- The seller is stationed out of town.
- You can't see the item in person.
- Ask you to wire transfer money without seeing the bike.
The bottom line is in the age of technology you have be a smart consumer.
"Unfortunately a lot of people are not going to be looking out for your best interests especially the scammers," said Listle.
Contact the BBB or access their scam tracker by clicking here.
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