Beware of Vacation Rental Scams and Phony Trip Giveaways
Beware of Vacation Rental Scams and Phony Trip Giveaways 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
Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Another common vacation con is the . You get an unsolicited email or call (usually ) congratulating you on winning a free getaway to a top destination. You’ll just have to pay taxes or “processing fees,” by which crooks can commandeer your personal and financial information. Or, claiming the prize requires attending a brief meeting, which turns out to be a hard-core sales pitch for or travel-club memberships. There are legitimate travel clubs, but some are shady, charging hefty dues for benefits that are hard-to-impossible to access. Be wary of the ones that offer you a “free” trip out of the blue.
Vacation Scams
Americans are taking to the road and to the skies in droves in 2022, unleashing more than two years of . But few things can make that long-awaited trip go south like getting to your destination only to find out you’ve already been taken for a ride by vacation scammers. Their stock in trade is offering travel packages and rental properties at prices that are literally too good to be true.Vacation rental scams
Rental scammers get your attention by advertising low, low rates and great amenities for houses, cottages and condos in choice locations. Even listings on reputable rental websites can be misleading or outright bogus. Some criminals hijack legitimate listings and swap in their own contact information; others use filched photos and made-up details to create fictitious listings. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. They typically try to limit communication to email, close the deal quickly and get payment up front. Only when you arrive at your temporary home-away-from-home do you discover that the condition of the property was vastly overstated or the booking itself was fraudulent.Car rental scams
Car rentals are another scam risk for bargain-hunting travelers. With prices sky-high amid a — major rental companies slashed their inventory during the pandemic — con artists are setting up phony websites and fake customer-service lines and advertising rock-bottom rates. They’ll insist you pay in advance, often by or prepaid debit card, then leave you stranded before you even hit the road. get in on the game by offering what look like serious discounts on and resort packages. Once they have your deposit, you may learn that the “luxury” offerings are a lot skimpier than advertised, and that taking advantage of the promised perks requires hefty additional fees that wipe out the supposed savings.Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Another common vacation con is the . You get an unsolicited email or call (usually ) congratulating you on winning a free getaway to a top destination. You’ll just have to pay taxes or “processing fees,” by which crooks can commandeer your personal and financial information. Or, claiming the prize requires attending a brief meeting, which turns out to be a hard-core sales pitch for or travel-club memberships. There are legitimate travel clubs, but some are shady, charging hefty dues for benefits that are hard-to-impossible to access. Be wary of the ones that offer you a “free” trip out of the blue.