Avoid Travel Scams With These Common Warning Signs Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close

Travel Scams

3 Scams to Avoid as Travel Resumes These days, travel starts on the internet. But as you research destinations online and comb travel sites for savings on lodging and flights, keep a sharp eye out for deceptive offers and outright scams that could cost you a bundle. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 73,000 reports of travel-related scams in 2020, costing consumers $175 million. Yet an the previous year found that less than 40 percent of travelers, and only about a quarter of those ages 50 and up, are concerned about booking scams when planning trips. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Be especially wary when using third-party hotel booking sites. According to a 2019 survey conducted for the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), nearly a quarter of consumers report being misled by travel resellers on the phone or online, affecting $5.7 billion in transactions in 2018. Unscrupulous resellers draw consumers through search engine ads and send them, via links or posted phone numbers, to booking websites or call centers that appear to be affiliated with a hotel. The lookalike site will feature detailed descriptions of rooms and amenities; it might even have the hotel’s name in its URL.
But you are not actually dealing with the hotel. This can have consequences ranging from inconvenient (the reseller doesn’t transmit special requests such as a wheelchair-accessible room) to expensive (higher rates than the hotel actually charges or hidden fees tacked on to your bill) to potentially trip-ruining (you arrive and discover the booking was never made). There’s plenty more to look out for. For example: Crooks operate lookalike websites for airlines, popular travel companies and federal like TSA PreCheck to harvest personal data from people who believe they're booking tickets or signing up for smoother airport screening.Scam emails offer promotions such as free flights to get you to give up credit card information or click links that download malware.Bogus insurance brokers sell travel policies they falsely claim will cover coronavirus-related cancellations.Fraudsters make up , or duplicate real ones, to collect payments for nonexistent bookings. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers >

Warning Signs

A cut-rate hotel or airline offer that seems too good to be true.A hotel, airline or travel website has odd spelling or grammatical errors, suggesting it may have been created by a scammer in a foreign country. to sign up for TSA PreCheck. Online searches for the program can turn up scam sites.Do look for written policies on canceling or modifying reservations, and confirm them before booking.Do call the hotel or airline and confirm your reservation after booking on a travel website. If they don’t have a record of your booking, that may signal a problem that it’s best to solve well before you travel.Do be skeptical of pitches for travel insurance that cover cancellations due to COVID-19. Most standard travel policies do not cover pandemics or viral outbreaks, according to the industry-led Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Don’t trust a travel website just because it has a familiar logo or comes up near the top of search results. Many scam sites mimic major travel companies’ branding.Don't book on an unfamiliar travel site until you've checked it out. Search for the company's name plus words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam” to see if other consumers had bad experiences with the site, and look it up in the .Don’t click on links in emails with travel promotions like free airline tickets or warnings that your hotel loyalty points are about to expire. Mouse over the link to check whether it goes to a legitimate travel site.Don’t pay for travel with a debit card. Use credit cards, which offer better fraud protection.

More Resources

If you suspect a travel scam, file a complaint with the FTC or at 877-382-4357.If it’s an online fraud, you can also report it to the FBI’s . MORE FROM AARP Scam Tracking Map No matter where you live, fraud is never far away. Report a scam or search for existing scams near you. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS