With the advent of technology, individuals often opt for booking travels online by hiring an online travel agent. While this lessens the hassle we have to go through, it could also cause trauma. I am talking about being fooled by your 'online travel agent.' Most often than not, scammers go the extra mile and build in fake travel booking websites.
So, how do you know your online travel agent is a fraudster? Here are some tips.
1. Flight and hotel prices are way cheaper than normal. They 'guarantee' the lowest flight or hotel price ever. While promos and discounts are possible, you should be cautious when dealing with such. Take in consideration that flight prices are usually set by the airlines. So if the offer is way cheaper than what the airline usually offers, then think twice. The same goes for hotels. Although some booking sites are legitimate and do offer discounts, it is not far from the hotel's normal rate. Nick Trend, Telegraph Travel's consumer editor, said: 'There are plenty of agents who negotiate fares and deals which are cheaper than buying from the airlines direct - Trailfinders and Dialaflight, for example. But these are nearly always on long-haul rather than short-haul routes to Europe. But it is true that very cheap deals can be a warning sign.'
2. Another sign that your travel agent might be a fraudster is if he or she asks you to transfer money or pay the amount through banks or other payment centres. More often than not, legit travel booking sites has the option of letting you pay through credit card. This gives you the assurance that your money is protected in cases where the agents turns out to be a fake.
3. Unprofessional-looking websites are also another sign that it could be fake. Travel booking sites make sure that their websites are of high quality. Unless the fraudster has enough money to spend on coming up with a high-quality website complete with high-resolution graphics, then the chances are high that it is up to no good.
4. They do not issue booking receipts. What kind of travel booking site does that?
5. No reviews or extremely too-good-to-be-true reviews. Also there would be bad reviews posted by victims. So before calling the shots, be sure to read the reviews, if there are any. Research the company or the person. It's better that way than to lose your money to a scumbag.
Do not be fooled. Know when to trust your travel agent and when to move forward and look for a better one. Don't let these fraudsters steal thousands of dollars, pounds, pesos, or whatever your currency might be through 'booking' you to fake hotel and flights.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
