Mississippi Better Business Bureau warns of journey rip-off surge forward of Memorial Day weekend

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Scammers are concentrating on vacationers forward of Memorial Day weekend, in line with the Mississippi Better Business Bureau.

John O’Hara, president of the Mississippi Better Business Bureau, mentioned crooks are utilizing faux journey websites and social media listings to steal cash from folks on the lookout for offers on lodging and airline tickets.

“With prices being a little higher this year, people are really trying to look for good deals and bargains,” O’Hara mentioned. “And what we’re starting to see is these fake travel sites that may be having discount airline tickets, or also you have to watch condo rentals.”

O’Hara mentioned listings on platforms like Facebook Marketplace can seem official however can transform scams.

“Every year we get calls from people like, I booked this, I paid for it, I showed up, but someone was already there,” O’Hara mentioned. “And then you find out that they were scammed.”

O’Hara mentioned shoppers ought to search for verified sellers on web sites and at all times pay with a bank card quite than wiring cash or utilizing reward playing cards.

“Wiring money or using gift cards, that should send up a red flag,” O’Hara mentioned. “That’s their way of like handing someone cash and letting them run off with it.”

O’Hara mentioned the Better Business Bureau may help shoppers confirm property possession.

He additionally mentioned scammers are utilizing faux fuel low cost gives to steal private info.

“People just look for the lowest gas in their area in Google and all of a sudden, they get all these pop-up ads,” O’Hara mentioned. “It kind of directs them to these fake websites and these links to get your personal information and steal money from you. You get no discount.”

The Mississippi Better Business Bureau receives 5 to 10 rip-off reviews day by day, and one other 20 on weekends. O’Hara mentioned these numbers solely mirror reported scams.

He mentioned shoppers can test the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker to see what scams are lively of their space.

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