Travel Factory Blog

It's been a year or so since I've brought up the subject of travel scams, so I thought I would resurrect that subject again. What brought it to mind was a conversation I had with someone recently who indicated that they had been notified by phone that they had been selected to win a free cruise, and if they were interested, and give the caller a credit card for the $99 in tax, they would throw in 3 free nights at a resort in Florida or a hotel in Las Vegas....take your choice. I just shook my head.....

In the first place, there is no “free” cruise. Someone has to pay for it in some form or fashion. In the second place, it's not “free” if you need to supply your credit card for a payment for anything. Further complicating your “winning” will be the common experience of the cruise being “booked” or not available on the days you want to travel.

Generally the scam operators will not give you full and complete information until you've given them your credit card number. Once you do that, you will find that there will be restrictions of some kind or conditions that would make the trip more expensive or impossible for you to take.

I’ve had the pleasure of being on the board of the local Better Business Bureau for several years, not so now, but in that time of service, I gained a deeper appreciation for the benefit of being a member of that organization.  The main reason is that I recognized how hard that organization works to make sure the citizens of the Big Country are informed about business practices of companies that serve us.  They also help us to recognize some of the people who try to take unfair advantage of our good will.