Watching Your Wallet: Avoiding scams while planning summer travel

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- From vacation rental cons to fake customer service sites, the Better Business Bureau is warning of the tricks targeting travelers.

"We're getting to that time of year where a lot of us are getting ready to travel, we've already made travel arrangements or getting ready to make them and, unfortunately, scammers know that," says Fresno Campus Director for the Better Business Bureau serving the Pacific Southwest, Manuel Garcia.

Garcia says when it comes to clicking on third-party sites or booking with a new travel planner, do your homework.

Look for reviews, ask for references and take a close look at the fine print. You may even find a typo.

"Check out the URL when you land at that website," Garcia said. "Sometimes, these websites have an extra character."

Delayed or canceled flight? Rather than using a search engine to get a hold of customer service, go directly to your reservation email.

"Scammers are developing websites with 800 numbers for customer service," Garcia said. "Basically, these are websites with advertisements on them, so the website goes all the way at the top."

Garcia says this activity is so frequent and sophisticated, it's getting harder for search engines to discover and police them.

"Scammers take advantage of that," he said. "They just keep bringing ads up, so it's our responsibility to look at the different URLs."

Hotel scams go beyond fake reservations.

Make sure any menus or fliers that are in your room are from the hotel itself.

Also make sure any transactions are charged to the room or handled directly with the front desk. Scammers prey on distracted or tired travelers.

"You go up to your room, you get a phone call claiming to be from the receptionist or check-in desk," Garcia said. "They're going to tell you there was a problem with your credit card information. But in this case, they're going to ask for a little bit more. They're going to ask for your social security number or a way to log into your bank account."

If it seems too good to be true, it likely is, so report it.

The Better Business Bureau has a special scam tracker page where you can provide information on the interaction and the URL.

"At some point, we're going to send a copy to the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission, in hopes they already have a case open," Garcia said. "This will help them make their case stronger."

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