We have headed into the summer season now, which
implies traveling to seaside destinations and other scenic spots. However, you
plan to travel, through flights or get your vehicles fuelled up for a road
trip. Whatever plan goes ahead this summer for your vacation, what to eat?
Where to live? What to explore? Keeping all these things under attention FBI,
the Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued an urgent warning to all the
people of America at the height of the summer season.
Take a careful look at why the agency expects you
to ‘exercise caution over the next coming months, and what will take you to
protect yourself.
As soon as the school announces the break in summer
and the warmer temperature hits, most of us get eager to take a break. But,
this summer the case has been different, travellers have faced different
obstacles that might be associated with flights cancellation or lack of rooms
in hotels. Earlier this month, CNN advised people to reschedule their travel
plans in the backdrop of rising prices that will cost you multiple folds than
in previous years.
Many people were compelled to cancel their
vacations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but with easing restrictions, Americans
are again scheduling their trips and the case of travel resources has increased
dramatically. Airlines are facing a shortage of staff and the air-ticket prices
are higher than ever.
When these many people are traveling altogether
there is a huge shortage of hotel rooms as well and in that case, if you decide
to book your accommodations elsewhere you need to be very cautious. The FBI issues
several precautions that you need to pay attention to.
Zero-Hour booking, don’t fall for a scam:
The Boston Division of the FBI issued a press
release on July 12th owing to the spike in the number of scams
rising with regards to rental and real estate scams. As per, the announcements,
people are at high risk of falling prey to somehow or another form of a rental
scam. When you are out to book your, real estate, rentals, or accommodations
online you will have to be very much cautious in that regard. “We have
seen a significant increase in the amount of money being lost by people who are
desperate to book a good deal”, said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in
Charge of the FBI Boston Division in a press release issued July 12th.
“Scammers are cashing in on the renters who need to act quickly for fear of
missing out, and it is costing consumers thousands of dollars, and in some
cases, leaving them stranded,”
The advertisements for Real estate online are not
always legitimate. In many such cases, the scammer duplicates and hinders a
real ad from a real estate website, and then reposts it on a classified
advertisement website. The fraudsters make use of the real broker’s name to
create a fake email address, and when people reach the site, they are directed
that they can’t see the property unless they make a payment, as they are out of
town. Once the payment is done by the victim, the listing is then no longer
available. Banks don’t place holds on the funds, and the victim will get
assured that the check has cleared. It is not until later they realize it was a
counterfeit check and they are solely responsible for the loss.
Be alarmed and keep an eye out for scam warning
signs:
In the year 2021, these scams altogether amounted
to a total loss of $350,328,166, which is 64% higher than in 2020. In recent
cases in New England, victims have shown up to the rentals only to find out
that the listing was fraudulent, being locked out and stranded. If you find
that you are falling prey to any of these scams, the FBI instructs you to stop
all the contacts and report any funds that you may have transferred
elsewhere.
FBI also suggests filing a complaint with the FBI’s
Internet Crime Complaint Centre. Before
sending any money it is hereby advised to see the home or apartments you are
booking, don’t fill out applications online until you have met the broker or
whosoever is managing the property. Be very smart to not transfer funds to
those you don’t know and try to check the identity of the person through public
records.
Bonavolonta further added, “We are asking everyone
to exercise safety, especially over the next few months, as folks look to book
last-minute summer gateways.”