Travel Scams?
Travel Scams
Around this time of year, many people will travel to spend the season with friends or family. This is a prime opportunity for scammers to strike. A scammer may send links to a fake website that claims to be affiliated with a travel agency. The site will offer deals on travel and hotel bookings for a very low price. The website will allow you to "book" these fraudulent flights and hotels by providing payment information. In reality, the deal was simply too good to be true, and the scammer now has access to some of your financial information.
To avoid these types of scams, it is best to use reputable, trustworthy websites to book your flights and hotels. Whenever you find an offer that is unusually inexpensive, stop and verify that the deal comes from one of these safe sites. If it doesn't, it is likely a scam.
Another travel-related scam features a text message, email, or letter stating that you have unpaid tolls, fees, or fines that you accumulated while traveling on toll roads. If the message is fraudulent, you will actually be paying a scammer when you do not owe any real fees. It is critical to verify that the message you received came from a legitimate transportation authority before you pay the alleged fees.
An example of what the toll scam looks like can be seen below. The redacted phone number and malicious website had no affiliation with the Ohio Turnpike.
