Vacation Scams Impacting Families Across the Country

Americans love going on vacations. These trips can be relaxing and filled with memories that will truly last a lifetime. Unfortunately, vacationing isn’t all that affordable for many families across the country and the globe. Approximately 52% of worldwide survey respondents expect to vacation at the beach at some point over the next 12 months, but many of those plans are going to involve a significant amount of financial saving.

Even worse, there has been an increase in vacation scams impacting American families in recent months, making all that time spent saving a devastating waste.

There are 1,200 miles of beautiful sandy beaches across the 1,800 miles of coastline in Florida. Since Florida is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world, scammers are attempting to take advantage of hardworking American families who hope to vacation there. All over the country, families are being offered fraudulent vacation packages that result in criminals making off with their money.

In Kentucky, these Florida vacation scams have become so prevalent that the Attorney General had to step in and warn state residents.

According to the Northern Kentucky Tribune, Attorney General Andy Beshear issued a Scam Alert, warning residents of scam calls offering deep discounts on travel to Orlando, Florida, and the Bahamas. Recently, Kentucky residents in Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Woodford, Bourbon, Boyd, Fayette, and Calloway have all reported receiving vacation scam calls.

During these call scams, a caller will announce that a family has won a weeklong vacation to Orlando, right next to Disney, and a three-day stay on the beach in the Bahamas for 75% off the retail rate. Additionally, the scammer says that vacationers who accept will receive a complimentary cruise to the Bahamas as well as bonus gifts and food.

“The right thing for Kentuckians to do is resist the temptation to quickly book a vacation they have supposedly qualified for or won,” Beshear said. “Always verify and research a travel agency before providing personal or financial information.”

In addition to refraining from providing an up-front payment to a anyone over the phone, there are plenty of other things to consider in order to avoid falling victim to a vacation scam.

Here are a few helpful suggestions to help protect yourself and your family from being taken advantage of when it comes to vacation scams:

• Use online mapping applications — Apps like Google Maps can help you verify that the vacation property in question actually exists. Scammers have been known to use false addresses or vacant lots, so make sure the vacation property address is legitimate.
• Stick to trusted vacation rental websites — You might not get that remarkable 75% off retail value, but that doesn’t exist anyways. If you’re serious about going on a nice vacation with your family, it’s best to work with trusted professionals and not a potential phone scammer.
• Trust your gut — If the person on the phone is pressuring you to respond immediately or continue to promise you and your family a “great deal,” you might start getting some bad feelings. Luckily, those bad feelings can actually get you out of serious financial trouble. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.