“It is so easy for scammers to make websites that mirror legitimate ones. They are very good at being deceptive,” said Sword.
There are 2.5 million fake bookings a year made by consumers that translate into more than $220 million in loss money, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
The FTC continues to investigate in hopes of finding the scammers and taking down the websites, but in the meantime, there are ways consumers can do their homework and make sure they are booking on a legitimate website.
Consumers should double check the URL, do a Who-Is lookup of the site, or use the links posted at bbb.org, said Sword.
Frequent traveler, Marge Mott of Miami Twp. said she doesn’t worry about getting scammed by a spoofed travel site because of the way she books her hotel rooms.
“If there’s a hotel that I want, I call the local number directly. I call and talk to a real person, and I get a real receipt,” Mott said.
About the Author