Be Aware Of Ongoing Coastal Vacation Scams

Though there are companies offering wholesale vacation packages that are legitimate, there are also several companies on the Internet that are posing as coastal vacation dealers and scamming thousands of people out of their hard earned money. These scam artists are well versed in travel package proposals and can sound incredibly convincing. They will offer you an amazing price for a coastal vacation getaway and will often tell you that all you have to do is send X amount of money to an address and that they (the salesperson) will take care of the rest for you. As you write your check and mail it off the scam artist collects these checks and then disappears. You are out X amount of money and a vacation dream. Other scam artists prey on victims to steal their money and identity. By doing the similar actions as above as well as taking social security numbers and bank account information for personal fraudulent use. These victims have lost money and a sense of trust.

Coastal vacation scams are still ongoing though the federal state task force has begun to take Internet business fraud much more seriously. Law enforcement sweeps targeting this type of fraud have placed 25 individual scam artists in prison for terms up to160 years. There have been 23 fraudulent business convictions and counting. Not only are customers of these services being taken advantage of, but those seeking a work from home opportunity are being subject to these actions as well. Internet companies including false coastal vacation sites are offering job opportunities claiming to make thousands of dollars while you sit at home and collect the earned cash. People are sending in a membership fee to join this false business and being scammed out of thousands of dollars and their dreams of home business operation. For those who have been victims to such scams they have had to learn how to protect their selves from this event the hard way. For those of us who have not been subjected to an Internet scam we should head some important warning signs.

In order to protect yourself from these scams you should always look for a BBB symbol. This is a symbol that states a business is legitimate and is registered with the Better Business Bureau. If this symbol is not present feel free to contact the BBB for an investigation. Prior to sending off any payments or personal information do some research. Take the time to find out where the company originated from and how long they have been in business. Look for references to see how previous customers or clients have found these services. There is nothing wrong with probing a company for information to protect yourself. Never give out personal information prior to knowing a company’s true background. If a company or its representative cannot provide this information you should contact authorities for an investigation. If a company has nothing to hide they will gladly answer any questions that you have. Protecting yourself from fraud and scams such as the coastal vacation scams is your duty to yourself as well as those around you.