If you travel frequently, say the Grupo Mayan travel professionals, chances are you have been approached by someone offering your great deals on condos or other “fishy” sounding for fabulously low prices. According to our Grupo Mayan experts this person is most likely proposing a deal that will result in a travel scam. Travel scams occur most frequently in popular holiday areas and during busy holiday seasons. Unscrupulous people try to scam innocent travelers out of their money by offering them the “deal of a lifetime”.
There are several things you can do to avoid being caught in a travel scam say the Grupo Mayan travel professionals. To begin with do a little homework on the company offering the deal. Make a few phone calls or ask around to determine if it is a legitimate business or if it has a reputation of pulling travel scams.
To check up on a business the Grupo Mayan travel professionals urge you to get as much info about the business as you can, including contact information. If you cannot find any information about the company do not have any further contact with them.
You can also check to see if the company or business has liability insurance. Any legitimate company should have this type of insurance. If they don’t, say the Grupo Mayan pros, it should be a red flag that they are not on the up and up.
These types of businesses usually try to talk you into making a snap decision. They want you decide right then and there to make a monetary commitment. To force you to give them your credit card they will offer you tempting prizes. The Grupo Mayan travel professionals report that these “prizes” are usually not what you are told. One business offered customers a free motorboat if they purchased a condo. The boat turned out to be a blow up raft with a small emergency motor.
If you are considering signing up for a deal, say the Grupo Mayan travel professionals, get as much information about the business as you can. Find out what country they are registered in and if they have a business license. You can ask for independent references and check with a local better business bureau if there is one in the area.
Finally, the Grupo Mayan pros tell you to be sure to read all the fine print before you sign anything. Find out what the business’s cancellation policy is and if they have any kind of refund policy. Paying with a credit card will also give you some protection against fraud.
