Stay scam free, no matter how far away you roam

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Planning to travel this holiday season? No matter where you’re going (over the river and through the woods), how you’re getting there (planes, trains, and automobiles), or where you’re staying (home for the holidays), here are the scams to avoid along the way.

Just in time for a holiday vacation, you might think you’ve won a vacation. Except the organizer says to pay a fee to get your prize. And just like that, you spotted the scam, because real prizes are free. Anyone asking you to pay for a prize is a scammer.

Like the hottest toys on the market, rental cars are in high demand. If you suddenly find an available car for cheap, know that scammers are looking to cash in on the fear of missing out. Check it out before you bite. And if someone asks you to pre-pay for a rental with a gift card or prepaid debit card, it’s a scam.

Looking for a place to ring in the new year? Like with rental cars, scammers hijack real rental listings — changing the contact information and reposting listings on different sites. Then they ask you to pay for fees, deposits, or rent using a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram. Some scammers also list places that don’t actually exist.

Here’s how to avoid scams while planning your trip:

• Do some research. If you’re looking to rent, search the rental company’s name, plus words like “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.”
• Spot rental listing scams. Look for the name of the rental company and search their website — using a link you know is real — to see if the property is listed there, too. If it isn’t, the listing is likely a scam.
• Pay by credit card, which gives you the best protections. Scammers want you to pay in ways that make it hard to get your money back — like wire transfers through Western Union or MoneyGram, cash, cryptocurrency, or payment apps.

Traveling is stressful enough, so tell the FTC about scams you see: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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