A top cruising expert has warned tourists planning to go on a cruise holiday to avoid falling for a particularly troublesome scam that could ruin their dream trip.
Whilst many passengers see cruises as a time to unwind on deck, tourists must be vigilant when booking their trip to avoid being overcharged or, in many cases, ripped off.
In a recent video, Gary Bembridge, who runs the YouTube channel Tips For Travellers, warned that many tourists are booking with fake travel agents, including a group of passengers in Florida, who were scammed out of £500.
He said: “Here’s a typical example of what I’ve seen happening.
“A group of Florida residents were scammed into paying hundreds of dollars for a three-night Royal Caribbean holiday sailing from Port Canaveral to The Bahamas.
“Rochelle Price and Nyeasha Lambert from the group told local media outlets how they saw an amazing deal on Facebook.
“The fake agent had them pay a $100 (£80) deposit via CashApp, and the rest of the $523 (£420) fare in instalments also via CashApp. They were given fake reservation numbers, but when they tried to check in at the port, they were turned away as there were no such bookings.”
According to Gary, a rise in interest surrounding cruise trips has resulted in a number of scammers setting up fake travel agent accounts on social media to promote particularly good deals.
Unsuspecting tourists who get in touch are urged to pay for their trip, either in full or instalments, using a cash transfer service rather than via a credit or debit card.
When the passenger has paid for the trip, they will receive an authentic-looking pass, only to find it is invalid when they reach the cruise terminal.
To avoid falling for the scam, Gary urged tourists to make a number of checks, starting by doing some research on the booking site using rating services such as Trustpilot or Feefo.
He said: “There are a growing number of fake cruise agent accounts on social media offering fabulous deals. So, what can you do to avoid it whilst still being able to grab a great deal from genuine agents you may not have heard of?
“The group made some mistakes. First, they did not do any research on the agent.
“If you’re looking at offers from an unfamiliar agent or company, you should search for online reviews and look at reputable review sites like Trustpilot. That should flag up issues.”
Finally, the cruise expert also suggested that passengers never pay for their holiday with a cash transfer service, noting that credit card companies could help passengers to avoid falling for scams.
He added: “Secondly, they paid the fake agent via a cash transfer app and not with a credit card. That should have been a really big red flag. Real agents should be able to take cards, and credit card companies will have done some screening.
“If the supplier is fake or fraudulent, you can get your money back from the credit card company – they’re required to do that by various regulations and rules.”