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Friday, January 30, 1998

Travel fraud: Sheriff warns, 'Don't get taken for a ride!'

You've planned and prepared for your vacation with as much attention and enthusiasm as possible. You finally arrive at your long-awaited destination and your dream vacation slowly turns into an expensive and deeply disappointing nightmare.

It's only then that you realize you're a victim of travel fraud and you've been taken for a ride.

"Anyone can be the target of a travel scam," Caddo Parish Sheriff Don Hathaway said. "Senior citizens, however, are the prime targets because they are often more trusting than others and prone to fall prey to slick advertising."

Slick telemarketing operations originate out of "boiler rooms" where skilled salespeople sell dubious products and services over the telephone. Sounding very legitimate, the sales pitches usually include some of these approaches:

• A "deal" (which cannot be delivered) is promised.
• "High pressure" tactics urge you to "buy right away" because the "deal" will not be available tomorrow.
• "Affordable" packages ranging in the hundreds of dollars are offered because this is usually the price range of vacation planners.
• Contradictory follow-up materials usually bear little resemblance to the offer you accepted. It's common for the printed materials to disclose additional terms, conditions and costs.

Travel fraud has been smartly packaged to appeal to consumers who enjoy travel. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), fraudulent travel schemes take in $12 billion a year. Travel scams range from vacation certificate marketers and timeshare resellers to flights aimed at immigrants and travel agent credential mills.

Sheriff Hathaway said people are often too embarrassed to admit they've been taken in by unscrupulous travel offers. "But," he said, "there are some basic rules that can put the consumer at least one step ahead of those offering enticing and illegitimate travel scams."

To guard against deceptive travel offers, the Sheriff advised would-be travelers to follow these suggestions:

• Be wary of "great deals." As with other kinds of scams, if it sounds "too good to be true," it probably is.
• Never give your credit card number out to anyone soliciting by telephone.
• Buy vacation travel only from a business you know.
• Get vacation details and refund policy in writing before you pay.
• Be wary of prepaying for multiple years of travel. Generally, fees rise over time.
• If in doubt, say "no" and hang up the phone.

"Careful planning can help ensure your vacation is everything you want it to be," Sheriff Hathaway said. "Play it smart and 'bon voyage!'"

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