BBB: Travelers getting targeted by scammers
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers of a growing scam that is costing some travelers hundreds of dollars.
Scammers are impersonating major brands, hoping to confuse travelers into making unnecessary payments, often asking customers to pay with a prepaid gift card.
A growing number of complaints to the BBB involve scammers impersonating booking.com.
Complaints allege the consumer thought they were reaching out to booking.com to make a change to their travel reservations or get a refund.
Often the consumer finds the phone number online through a search or on social media. The person answering the phone identifies themselves as working for booking.com.
They tell the customer that to complete the change the customer must go to the store and purchase hundreds of dollars worth of prepaid gift cards. The impersonators promise the money will be refunded.
Once the payment has been given the scammers find a reason to ask for more money, often claiming the card didn’t work.
The Better Business Bureau Serving Acadiana said, “The scammer asks for more money saying they’ll give you a refund when in reality, they’re not.”
Here are some tips to help protect you from travel scams:
• Only contact Booking.com through our official communication channels listed on our website and/or apps
• No legitimate transaction (e.g. payments and/or reservation changes) with Booking.com will ever require you to specifically pay with gift cards or require you to give your credit card details by phone, text message or email
• Never provide any credit card or gift card details (such as the claim code) to someone you don’t know/trust
• Furthermore, you should report your experience to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ftc.gov.
If you have a scam you’d like me to investigate, feel free to send me an email at smasters@klfy.com.