Vacation Giveaway Scam
Congratulations! You have won a 3 day, 2 nights all inclusive
vacation for two in Las Vegas, Nevada. Does this sound familiar?
Have you seen the name of a major hotel chain listed in big bold
red letters on the advertisement? You've probably received a
voice recorded phone call or postcard in the mail telling you to
call this number to claim your vacation. The scam is when you
call the number, you soon find out that you have to purchase
another vacation package or pay some overpriced service charge.
These fees can be anywhere in the ballpark of $200 to $600. All
you will receive is a travel package describing your vacation
with many restrictions on when you can take your trip. You will
get an expiration date that is almost impossible to stay within,
because your preferred travel dates will most likely be
unavailable. You can expect additional charges for booking your
reservations, which can range anywhere from $50 to $100 per
booking. If you have complaints they will offer you an upgraded
plan for an additional fee.
If you are one the few people, who do receive a vacation
package, you can expect to receive low class accommodations.
Please be aware that most of these scams do come from the
southeastern part of Florida and these "vacation offers" may be
an offer for you to pay $200 or more. It's not a free vacation.
They may sound enticing but keep in mind businesses can't stay
afloat selling goods or services for less than they really cost.
If you have been a victim of this fraud, you can file complaint
with Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service @
http://www.800helpfla.com/ccform.html