I received a call from a company called Travel Services. Congratulations! You are selected for a FREE cruise. WOW! It is good to know because I pay for all my FAMs. OK, deal was very simple: cruise to Bahamas for 4 nights on Monarch of the Seas is for $94 – port charges only! I started to ask more questions as a professional – Sam from Travel Services hang up.
Do you believe in FREE cruise by Royal Caribbean International? As one employee from the Royal Caribbean International told me, if you give away free cruises we soon will be out of business!
So, let’s return back to Travel Services. The name of the representative was Sam. He read the whole script to me about Bahamas cruise on Monarch of the Seas for 4 nights. Really? Monarch will leave us at the end of March. Do you know about this? I started to ask questions – Sam continued to read. Finally, I asked him, “Sam, do you understand what you are doing right now is illegal?” He hung up.
I called back on number displayed on my phone. I received a message – MagicJack subscriber (!!!) is not available at this time. You can’t leave a message – mail box is full.
I checked this company over the Internet – it is listed under SCAMS. Be aware – they need your credit card number!
How to protect yourself from scams like this?
First of all, never, never, never give your credit card number to anybody who called you. Ask about phone number, company’s name, web site. Pay attention if this company is member of ASTA or CLIA. With ASTA – American Society of Travel Agents you can check the background by clicking on logo. Or go to ASTA web site and check by yourself.
According to statistics, chances that you receive a free cruise offered by phone are very low. There are a lot of coin artists around! Pay attention on conditions;
If you was told that cruise is available after 60 days from today or during next year. This translates that after 60 days you will not be covered by your credit card protection.
If they don’t give you details about cancellation policy. Remember, Royal Caribbean International doesn’t charge cancellation fees before the final payment.
If they use a high pressure tactics – this deal is available right now and can’t be extended. So you have to make a decision immediately.
Pay attention for scams like this and report to me with numbers, I will transfer them to Royal Caribbean International. My phone number is 772 335-7017.