AAA Cautions Seniors on Travel Scams
Phoenix, Ariz. October 9, 2007 – Retirement
should be a time to relax and an opportunity to go
places and do things you couldn’t do before. For
many seniors, traveling is one of the most fun ways
to put to use the money saved from working so hard
in their younger years. No one knows this more than
the crooks out to separate you from your money.
According to the National Consumers League (NCL),
travel scams were one of the NCL’s top ten scams
of 2006 with victims reporting an average loss of
$812 per scam. In fact, the Better Business Bureau
reports that vacation scams cost consumers over $10
billion each year. Further, the NCL also reports
that consumers over the age of 70 are the most vulnerable
demographic.
“Traveling is supposed to be a fun and exciting way
for seniors to take advantage of their free time
and the money they’ve saved,” said Judy Santiago,
director of world travel for AAA Arizona. “Unfortunately,
retirees, in particular, also have to take caution
when planning vacations and look out for things
that might seem too good to be true.”
To avoid becoming a victim of a travel scam,
AAA Arizona has the following tips for travelers:
- Plan ahead whenever possible,
so you are not forced to find a flight or hotel
room at the last minute. Trusted travel agencies
such as AAA make it easy to book discount travel
in advance.
- Beware of solicitations (i.e.
spam emails, telemarketers and junk faxes) that
offer deals that are far below market value.
- Use your credit card when booking
a hotel or airline tickets. Most credit card companies
allow consumers to dispute a charge within 60 days
of purchase, a protection feature not allowed for
when using cash or checks.
- Before you pay for any travel
packages, get all the details in writing including
the total cost, cancellation and any refund policies.
Once you have this information, contact all businesses
directly to verify your arrangements. Legitimate
travel agencies will give you this information
prior to receipt of your payment.
- Read the fine print. This is
often where scammers try to bury their pricing
structure, hidden restrictions and additional costs
that will be passed along to the traveler.
- Consider purchasing travel insurance.
All travel insurance is not created equal, so be
sure to read the fine print and understand what
is covered and what’s not. Check that it includes
coverage for the travel company's possible bankruptcy
or failure to deliver on a trip.
- Research the travel company or agency
through the BBB before booking your
travel plans. The BBB has more than three million
reliability and charity reports that are free
to the public by visiting www.bbb.org.
- If you use a travel agent or agency, make
sure they are a certified member of
the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)
or the International Airlines Travel Agent Network
(IATAN) if you are booking international travel.
If you are booking a cruise, the agency should
be a member of the Cruise Lines International
Association (CLIA). If using a travel agency
to purchase airline tickets, check that the company
belongs to the Airlines Reporting Corporation
(ARC), as this will allow them to issue official
airline tickets. Travel agents and agencies that
are a part of these professional organizations
should have unique verification numbers.
If you think you've been scammed, you can file a
report with the Federal Trade Commission by calling
1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
AAA Arizona, the Arizona affiliate of AAA, provides
automotive, insurance and auto travel services to
nearly 750,000 Arizona members. Annually, AAA’s
Emergency Road Service responds to more than 450,000
calls for help on the streets and highways of the
state as well as providing insurance, travel, and
financial services to AAA members and motorists.
Since its founding in 1927, AAA Arizona has been
a leading advocate for the safety and security of
all travelers.
