Like any industry, scams are present in the travel arena too. Here's late-breaking news out of Kansas of yet another scam intended to separate people from their money. It could be heading your way too...
It's always easy in retrospect to say "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is" but when an official looking mailer arrives telling you about 'opportunities' in a particular area, many are initially caught off guard. This appears to be what drives this latest scam - located this time in Wichita, Kansas.
First, a notice arrives in the mail from an outfit called Elite Escapes. The notice tells people that prominent, well recognizable companies (in this case United Air Lines and Hertz) have banded together to offer a 'trip of a lifetime'. The hook is that you phone in to get details, so there is no obvious "send us $50 and we'll tell you how to book it" type of warning flag that may go on in your mind. Smooth talking sales (con) men then lure you to a local hotel where you are pitched for various vacations if you only 'secure the rights' for a fee. Apparently, several Kansans signed up and lost thousands before authorities caught up with the scam.
Authorities in Kansas investigating the scam linked the company with similar scams in South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri and New Mexico as well. They are warning that they could be heading to other states not listed as investigators track them down and they attempt to stay one step ahead.
So if YOU get one of those official looking mailers, they advise you to call the Attorney Generals office at 1-800-432-2310. And as always, do business only with those companies you either know or have been in business for longer than a few weeks or months. Even when caught and shutdown (like Elite may have been) there is little chance any money is left for restitution. So before you commit any hard earned money to people who contacted YOU, check them out first.
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