With airlines constantly waging fare wars and some hotels offering to let your kids stay for free, it's not impossible that a one-week trip to Jamaica with four-star accommodations for two could cost only $400.
And is it unreasonable to expect that a seven-day Caribbean cruise for two could be had for only $500?
Impossible, perhaps not. Unreasonable, yes.
"The travel industry has in part created this environment that makes consumers believe that no discount is too big to be unbelievable," said Ed Perkins, editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter.
Travel scams are on the rise as more people try to take advantage of cut-rate deals on vacation packages, according to the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). According to the National Consumers League, travel fraud is the largest consumer rip-off after sweepstakes promotions, with annual losses totaling $12 billion.
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"Every year we notice an increase in scams," said David Love, a spokesman for the Alexandria-based travel association. "People fall victim to the allure of travel."
Earlier this month, two Northern Virginia brothers who ran a lucrative travel business called Fantasy Vacations were charged with conspiring to defraud hundreds of customers by failing to honor deals that offered dream vacations for low prices.
The FBI accused Michael Barson, 36, and his brother, Christopher Barson, 30, of enticing about 2,000 people to put up more than $800,000 for trips most of the customers never got to take.
The problem is that people are looking for bargains in all the wrong places, consumer advocates said. Newspaper ads, postcards and unsolicited telephone calls about great travel deals for incredibly low prices are snaring even the most savvy travel shoppers.
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"Many families have less money to spend, so lots of people are looking for bargains," said Shirley L. Rooker, president of Call for Action, a nonprofit group based in Washington that operates consumer hot lines nationally.
Esther Miller of Mount Rainier said she saw an ad offering a Jamaica vacation in a local publication and thought it sounded like a good deal. After all, she reasoned, the cost of travel has come down in the last several years.
She and her husband, Andrew, paid the $398 for the trip up front. But each time the Millers sent in their three preferred dates of travel, the times were unavailable. The travel company, which she said was run by the Barsons, never made good on the trip.
"I was really suspicious, but the company offered airline tickets in which we saved $200" earlier, Miller said.
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Beverly Osbon and her boyfriend paid $249 for a Bahamas cruise for two. The package even came with a video showing the cruise ship.
Osbon, a resident of Downsville, La., didn't think it was unusual for the travel company to contact her about upgrades on her package. She didn't mind paying an extra $266 to get a hotel room near the beach. And she didn't suspect anything funny when the company said she had to send another check for $138 to cover taxes for the trip.
Eventually, the charges reached $653, but she never took the cruise. Two weeks before her tickets were supposed to arrive, the company sent her a letter saying it had filed for bankruptcy court protection.
"I've learned a good lesson," Osbon said. "If it sounds too good to be true, it is."
Legislation signed two weeks ago by President Clinton gave a big boost to law enforcement by allowing attorneys general to cross state lines to apprehend travel scam artists.
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"This should go a long way toward protecting the integrity of legitimate sellers of travel and fight the age-old problem of travel scams," said Earlene Causey, president of ASTA.
While there are travel bargains available, consumer advocates warn against deals that appear too low-priced, usually the first sign that a fantasy vacation may turn into a financial nightmare.
* If you get a postcard or telephone call announcing you have won a free trip, then it should be free. You should not have to pay any money to get the trip. Most consumer advocates suggest rejecting such offers.
* Be cautious when companies ask you to pay a large sum of money up front for a trip to be taken in the future. The best protection is to negotiate to pay for the vacation in installments.
* Be cautious about companies that advertise in the newspaper with extremely cheap travel plans. Just because a company advertises doesn't mean it is offering a legitimate vacation package.
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* Check out the travel company with local consumer groups or the Better Business Bureau. But don't be lulled into a false sense of security if the company does not have any registered complaints against it. Often bogus companies will change their name or move to another state to avoid law enforcement officials.
* If you are pressured to make a decision immediately, that should alert you to a possible scam.
* Always get everything in writing before sending any money. Ask for literature on the company and written details about the trip, including the name of the hotel, cruise line or other companies that will be used.
SOURCE: Shirley Rooker, Call for Action
