Don't Fall for a Travel Scam - Senior Planet from AARP

While youre looking forward to a nice trip for the winter, scammers are looking, too for you.In general, if you get a robo-call or an unsolicited email, letter, text message or flyer and the deal looks too good to be trueit usually is.Doubly so if they announce that youve won a wonderful free trip.The most common scams are:Great vacation places to stay at really low costs.The scam? The venues dont exist or, if they exist, may not be as advertised, or are in unacceptable locations.or dont even belong to the person renting it to you!Charter flights including lodging and other amenities.

Some of these prove not to be as offered; some dont exist at all.Help securing necessary documents for your trip.Check for Red FlagsBe alert for the red flags that practically scream Walk away!:An unsolicited phone call, letter, text or email announcing that youve won a free trip.(Some scammers will even ask you to scan a code.full of malware!)Details, whether for a rental or charter flight package, are vague and cant be corroborated.A sense of urgency.You must act now and must make a fast decision to hold the reservation with payment up front, of course.Payment is to be made by wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrencysome savvy travelers are cautious about P2P cash transfer apps scams, as well.Vacation Payment ScamsMoney transfer scams: Wire transfer demands are a favorite of scammers who set up faux vacation rentals.

Once the money is received, the recipient is untraceable.So is your rental.Gift cards are another money transfer scam, usually for rental deposits.Sometimes youre asked to buy two or more cards to make up the deposit total.

Once the scammer gets the gift card numbers and PINs, he or she disappears.Hotel Credit Card ScamCredit card scam: This scam can occur even in the most reputable hotel, which is why some are fooled.Heres how it works:Within an hour after checking into your room, you get a call from the front desk asking to verify your credit card information.If this happens to you, tell the caller that youll go down to the front desk to verify the information in person, then hang up.

The scammer wont call again.Want more travel info? Check out Senior Planets new Travel Page, with resources, tips and a fun program for armchair travelers!Foreign Travel ScamsDocuments: By-pass websites that charge fees to get an international travel visa, passport or other travel document.Instead, go directly to the U.S.Department of State; fees range from free to nominal.

(https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html).International driving permit scams: An International Drivers Permit (IDP) allows you to drive in another country as long as you have a valid license issued by your state.Its also recognized as I.D.in over 150 countries and by many major car rental companies.

Learn how to get an IDP here.If you buy an IDP from one of the scam websites, you could face travel delays, even legal problems if, for some reason, youre found to be using the worthless document abroad.Currency short-changing: Make it a point to get to know the value of the bills in the countries youre visiting.Dishonest merchants may take advantage of your unfamiliarity to give you the wrong change.Paying for goods: Some merchants want to bill your credit card in U.S.dollars.

Decline: the dollar exchange rate is likely to be unfavorable.Instead, pay credit cards in the local currency.Your card may charge a fee, but the bite is likely to be less than the amount the currency exchange counter takes.Want more travel scams information? Check out the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoid-scams-when-you-travelNona Aguilar is an award-winning writer of numerous magazine articles and two books.She has also edited four specialty business newsletter publications.

Her work has appeared in Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, Family Circle and Cosmopolitan, and in The Business Owner.