Advice for avoiding travel scams

It was like FOMO catnip: an island paradise in the Bahamas, beloved musical headliners, private jet transportation, and luxurious villa accommodations, supermodels frolicking with swimming pigs on social media.

But, as we learned in 2017 and have been reminded by two recent documentaries about the Fyre Festival (Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened on Netflix and Fyre Fraud on Hulu), sometimes a little skepticism is in order instead of just Fear of Missing Out.

“Whether this was a planned scam or just ineptness of beginner event planners, it’s not entirely clear,” says Katherine Hutt, national spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau. “But what is clear is that people should not have trusted somebody with that kind of record with that amount of money.”

Though it’s easy to look back at the Fyre Festival and see all the red flags, the truth is that questionable travel deals, overhyped events, and even travel hoaxes happen all the time — and they do not always make headlines. In 2017, the most recent year for which data are available, consumers filed 22,264 complaints about travel and timeshare fraud with the Federal Trade Commission.

To avoid getting burned by events like Fyre Fest, Hutt and other experts shared some steps consumers can take.

Do your research

If a company — whether it is a hotel, airline, vacation website, festival, or other entity — has been around for a while, do a quick search on it on sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB.org) and its state’s attorney general’s office to check for any complaints. Hutt says that when she researches a business, she will also look up its information in the ICANN WHOIS database, which has information about who registered a domain name or IP address.

If she learns that the site is brand new or sees that the owner’s name is hidden, that could be of concern. “It takes a little sleuthing,” says Hutt. “But a brand-new domain name is a good indication of when something is potentially a scam.”

Peter John, author of the book Around the World in 80 Scams: An Essential Travel Guide, suggests adding the word scam to your Google search. "If you can find the name of the website linked to the word scam online, it may be a scam itself," he says. "You may be able to find other people’s experiences of being scammed, and they can be a warning to you."

If a "deal" is coming to you, put your guard up

If you are being solicited for some kind of special, whether a vacation package or a timeshare, be careful, says Mamie Kresses, senior attorney in the FTC’s division of advertising practices. “You need to just have a high level of skepticism,” she says. Kresses recommends finding out the name of the company behind the deal and making sure it is a reputable business.

And, she says, when you visit a website, make sure it is the brand you think it is. “If you’re going to a particular hotel or a particular cruise line, just be careful, look closely, make sure you’re actually on the website of the company that you are intending to be on,” says Kresses. “A lot of websites look alike, and some unscrupulous businesses may make their websites look like a name brand to garner your attention and your money.”

Always pay with a credit card

Never hand over a check, money order, or cash when booking travel. If a travel purchase turns out to be fraudulent, your credit card company may be able to offer a layer of protection. “It’s not a guarantee, but at least you have a recourse to challenge the charge when you use a credit card,” says Kresses.

She adds that you should not share your credit card information until you are certain of what you are getting and you have decided you want to make the purchase.

A picture is worth 1,000 scams

Maybe you are looking at a photo of a stunning condo on a sugar-sand beach, or an image of a booze cruise on which young and beautiful people are having the time of their lives, or a picture of a fun run in the dark in which runners are alight in neon.

Whatever it is, do not automatically trust that the photo is legitimate. Hutt — who has seen all the above examples in scam form — suggests doing a reverse-image search before buying anything online. To research an image, click on the image, save it to the desktop, and then drop it into images.google.com. If you see that the same condo has been listed in several different geographical locations, your scam alarm should be sounding.

“Reverse image is so easy — I would recommend it for everything,” says Hutt. “Anytime you’re buying something from somebody you don’t know, that’s a good step to take.”

Make sure there is a phone number to call

If something goes awry in your plans, you will want to have a human you can talk to. "If the only way to contact them is an online form, or if it’s just a generic email address, that’s a red flag," says Hutt.

Additionally, if you are unsure about something, find a way to verify the deal before booking. That might mean calling the actual venue where a festival is scheduled, or checking with an airline or hotel that is mentioned in a travel deal. Verify by phone whatever you can to be sure that the offer is legitimate and that you will have a way to contact someone if you need to later.

Trust your instinct

“If there are any red flags at all, just back off,” says Hutt. Be especially aware of any phrases that make you feel like you need to act quickly, like limited time offer, the deadline’s approaching, two-for-one deal. “All of those things that we see in legitimate sales we also see scammers using,” says Hutt. “The idea of creating scarcity or creating urgency — those are stock in trade for scammers.”

Be prepared to make a stink if it all goes south

If you cannot get the response you want from a customer service representative at a company, John suggests contacting it through social media or by going to the media. "I have found that customer-facing organizations, such as ticket providers or airlines, are very careful about their public images," he says. "They will often give you your money back if you can get a newspaper to raise your case with them."

Plus, by reaching out, speaking out, and making your experience a part of the public record — whether it is about a vacation rental scam or a certain fated music festival — you might also be able to help someone else avoid getting bamboozled.