Cheap is... bad
Recently, Facebook account Su Bong asked for help from the social network community because he bought a travel service package for 14 people to go to Con Dao ( Ba Ria - Vung Tau province) from a person named Ngo Thi Quyet in the Facebook group "Review Con Dao". Through Zalo transaction, Facebook account Su Bong transferred nearly 80 million VND to Quyet since June 3. After receiving the money, Quyet blocked Zalo and deleted all messages.
Also falling into a scam when buying a travel package, Ms. Quynh Trang in Ninh Hiep commune (Gia Lam district) said that 3 years ago she bought a 200 million VND travel package including 1 night at JW Mariott hotel and 3 nights at Vinpearl Phu Quoc from a person named Truc. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, her family postponed the trip until June 2023. In May 2023, she announced that she would travel as agreed, transferring additional money to Truc. But from May 15 to early June 2023, Ms. Trang called the hotel and received a response that she had not booked a room. Truc used all kinds of excuses for being sick and went to the hospital, made many promises and disappeared...
A recent incident that has caused a stir in public opinion is a group of people continuously advertising on Facebook a travel package including a 5-star Ambassador cruise ship and a hotel in Ha Long for 3 days and 2 nights, priced at 2 million VND/person. Sharing with a reporter from the Hanoi Moi Newspaper, Ms. Le Thi Huyen, Tan Lap commune (Dan Phuong district) said that she booked 2 nights, 2 rooms, a total of nearly 8 million VND on Facebook "Ha Long Cruise". After receiving a 50% advance payment, the above account blocked her number.
In the same situation, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Lien, in My Dinh 1 ward (Nam Tu Liem district) said that she transferred 26 million VND to book a cruise in the morning, but in the evening her phone number and Facebook were blocked... Many people, after calming down and comparing the original price, realized something was unusual. The current price for 1 night on a 5-star cruise booked directly is from 2.5 million to 4 million VND/person. Therefore, the advertised price of 1.999 million VND/person on the 5-star Ambassador cruise and hotel for 3 days and 2 nights is impossible.
Faced with this situation, on June 9, the People's Committee of Ha Long City ( Quang Ninh Province) warned about the phenomenon of impersonating travel companies and tour agents to sell cheap travel packages, collecting money but not issuing tickets as promised, blocking contact with customers, affecting the tourism image of Ha Long City. The People's Committee of Ha Long City has directed relevant units to inspect, check, and strictly handle subjects with acts of fraud and property appropriation...
Need to find out information carefully
According to Director of AZA Travel Company Nguyen Tien Dat, scammers often take advantage of people who love cheap prices, so they use tricks such as posting pictures, information, impersonating long-standing travel agencies, creating fake accounts, and creating interactions to attract customers. Many subjects use website names similar to the domain names of reputable travel agencies, so many people are scammed. Many unlucky people cannot contact the seller after transferring money. The luckier ones spend money to buy a travel package advertised as 5-star service but receive 2-star service.
Having worked at a travel company for nearly 20 years, Ms. Tran Ha Xuan, Xuan Dinh Ward (Bac Tu Liem District) said that many of her regular customers are eager to buy super cheap promotional travel packages. To avoid being scammed, customers should not transact with strangers selling products online without a reputable sales history. Customers should go to reputable travel agencies to sign contracts or contact the airline themselves to book air tickets and book rooms at the hotel where they want to go. "You need a contract, money transfer documents, and take a photo of the ID card of the person you are dealing with. If you want to buy a cheap package, find an agent, company or relative to sell the product. Customers should not risk their own money," Ms. Xuan warned.
Recently, the Ministry of Public Security has recommended that people should carefully research information when choosing travel packages. People can ask the seller to show them their business license, practice certificate, etc.; be cautious when receiving an invitation to buy a travel package at a price 30-50% cheaper than the market price. In particular, be cautious when the seller asks for a deposit to hold a seat. In addition, the Ministry of Public Security recommends that tourists should determine whether the website is fake or not. Fake websites will be similar to the real website name but will have some characters added or missing. Fake domain names often use strange extensions such as .cc, .xyz, .tk, etc.
Decree No. 124/2015/ND-CP of the Government stipulates the maximum fine for individuals who defraud customers when booking rooms online is 20 million VND and the fine is doubled for organizations. If there are sufficient signs of constituting a crime, the subject can be prosecuted for defrauding customers under Article 198 of the 2015 Penal Code with the highest prison sentence of 5 years.
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