Summertime is fast approaching and many Americans are looking forward to planning their yearly vacations during that time. With that in mind, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are warning Floridians and visitors of an ongoing scam offering fraudulent promotional vacation packages.
Recently, the travel industry has reported an increase in the number of complaints related to scams regarding Florida vacation packages.
Consumers in Florida should be wary of the usual robocalls, emails or faxes that may be prowling for unsuspecting victims throughout the year as well as other scams that claim to be offering promotional vacation packages from legitimate travel agencies such as Expedia, Travelocity, TripAdvisor and more.
Protecting yourself against travel and vacation scams is simple:
• Find out if the seller is registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and if any complaints have been filed against the seller.
• Never give out credit card or checking account numbers over the phone unless the consumer initiated the call and is absolutely certain that the company is legitimate with noted credentials.
• Read the entire contract thoroughly, ask questions and do not sign if there are any doubts about anything.
• The good old adage is still accurate today; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Go directly to the legitimate travel booking company website and contact the company.
• As the state's clearinghouse for consumer complaints, the department educates the public, investigates complaints and provides mediation on behalf of consumers. The department recovered millions of dollars for Florida consumers last year from moving companies, vehicle repair shops, pawnshops, health studios, telemarketers, sellers of travel and more.
Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the department's consumer protection and information hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832). For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com.