Coastal vacation scam artists take peoples money with promises of phony vacations. Many of these offers use words like cheap Hawaiian vacation to lure travelers.
Most people dream of taking a coastal vacation. They may hope for a cheap Hawaiian vacation package or dream of a coastal vacation resort weekend.
But many coastal vacation scams disguise themselves as legitimate offers. Police report an increase in coastal vacation scams in recent years.
The Internet spawned a new breed of coastal vacation scam artist wanting to cheat honest consumers out of their money. Anyone who types in cheap Hawaiian vacation package into a Google search engine will find over one million his.
The Federal Trade Commission reported 3,600 consumers scammed in 2002, amounting to $3.5 million. How can consumers tell the difference between a coastal vacation scam and an honest cheap vacation package?
1. Many people operating coastal vacation scams will ask for a credit card or other financial information early in the conversation. Many of these so-called vacation companies want consumers to give their financial information online for a cheap Hawaiian...