Fraudulent methods of booking 'cheap travel combos'

On the afternoon of November 4, Tuyen Quang Provincial Police said that recently, taking advantage of people's need for sightseeing and tourism and the trend of searching for tourism information advertised on social networking services (Zalo, Facebook...), there have appeared fraudulent tricks of "cheap travel combo", inviting people to book tours, deposit money to hold seats and then take possession.

Photo provided by police.

From there, the police determined that the subjects built a fraud scenario through the form of booking "cheap travel combos" with the method of fraudulently posting articles advertising the sale of tours and cheap hotel rooms on the Internet and social networks with many accompanying utilities, requesting to transfer money (from 30-50% of the value) to deposit for tours and hotel rooms, then appropriating the deposit.

Not only that, this group of subjects also posted articles advertising services for foreign tourist visas, promising a high success rate and a 100% refund if the visa is not granted. After tourists transfer money to pay the cost or part of the cost, the subjects will let them fill in the application form themselves, complete the documents... Then they will use the excuse that they provided missing information and will not refund the money.

In addition, the subjects also faked websites and fanpages of reputable travel companies, faked photos of receipts and payment invoices, and requested to transfer money to pay for the tour. After customers transferred money to pay for the travel services, the subjects would block communication and erase all traces.

The subjects also impersonate airline ticket agents, create their own websites and social networking sites with similar addresses and designs to those of official airlines or agents, then advertise with very attractive prices compared to the general level to attract customers.

If the customer contacts, the subjects will book the flight ticket, send the booking code as collateral and ask the customer to pay. After receiving the payment, the subjects do not issue the flight ticket and cut off contact. Because the booking code has not been issued to the flight ticket, it will automatically cancel after a while and the customer will only know about this when arriving at the airport.

From the above recommendations, the leaders of Tuyen Quang Provincial Police suggest that people need to carefully research information when choosing travel packages, and should choose tour booking, room booking, and airline ticket booking services from reputable companies or through travel apps.

For more peace of mind, people can ask their partners to show them the business license, documents, practice certificates... of the travel and tourism company.

Be cautious when receiving an invitation to buy a tour package at a very cheap price (30-50% cheaper than the general market price); be cautious when the travel agency asks for a deposit to hold a seat, if possible, make a direct payment transaction.

In particular, for social networking sites (Fanpage) that sell and promote travel packages, especially cheap travel packages and cheap airline tickets, people should choose social networking sites with a blue tick (registered accounts) or choose reputable social networking sites where they know the seller's information clearly.

Reconfirm your booking information and flight tickets to promptly detect signs of fraud and report to the nearest police station for guidance and resolution.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/thu-doan-lua-dao-qua-hinh-thuc-dat-combo-du-lich-gia-re-2210874.html