this video is closed captioned crew scams that you shouldn't fall for we have all seen those
extravagant luxury cruise ads on television or the internet smiling people crystal clear oceans
and endless food and drinks perhaps you've even saved up and carved out some time in the summer
for a wild getaway then the phone rings someone is telling you that you won a contest for a free
cruise all they need is some personal information and you'll be all set does this sound like the
perfect gift maybe the universe is finally lining up for you think again this is likely just a scam
to get your personal information although there could be several other ways of scamming you that
are much more complicated and a bit harder to detect have you recently booked a cruise
and have some doubts here are the crew scams you shouldn't fall for the promise of a free cruise
always comes with a catch if they're not stealing your credit card information or worse your social
security information then you can bet they'll bombard you with calls texts and email spam
until you're blue in the face one thing to watch out for is links sent through these texts and
emails that promise huge discounts free cruises or free upgrades to an existing cruise you've booked
these links can download malware to your phone or pc that will steal information and remain hidden
on your devices while monitoring your every move another tactic is to book you for a free cruise
but only the actual boat trip anything else and i do mean anything will end up costing you a pretty
penny you need food decent lodging with air conditioning and any comfort whatsoever you're
going to have to cough up the extra dough cruise line fees and government taxes are also on the
table so this applies to you if you're planning on international travel what started as a free cruise
is now more expensive than if you had just booked the trip through the cruise line itself if you
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bell icon to get notified when we publish a new video another ploy is to promise free upgrades and
amenities in exchange for your time this will be a timeshare pitch that can take up your time and
even cost you thousands if you sign up timeshare contracts are notoriously difficult to get out of
and may even be passed on to your family even after you pass away while you may think it's
easy to say no to these offers these sales workers have expertise in finding your weak mental points
and wearing you down timeshare presentations can easily last four or five hours with plenty
of free food and drink offered for the duration this means it will be much easier to talk you
into committing especially with promises of saving thousands of dollars if you act now not to mention
there's no guarantee with the pandemic that you will be able to visit your timeshare location
so this is something to avoid when it is offered if there's one thing you can say about scammers
is that they are innovative the recent coronavirus pandemic has provided a novel opportunity
for a scam that could leave you penniless these scammers will contact you with bogus refunds
if you have a cruise that's been canceled due to the pandemic they will then pose as a cruise line
and promise you bogus incentives to book with them for the next year with hefty discounts and
luxurious bonus amenities but don't fall for it this is just another way to get your information
they will need to verify your credit card info before the refund is processed
and then you're in for it another scam often pulled off in conjunction with the cruise vacation
is centered on currency exchange when visiting foreign countries it is often necessary to use
a different currency this is supposed to be done by properly licensed financial entities who will
charge a small fee for their service unfortunately many scrupulous scammers are ready to pounce on
naive tourists who don't know the exchange rates or the relevant institutions to trust
the scammers will invariably overcharge you which will only become apparent after you've spent
all your cash posing as a cruise company is not only a successful strategy for individual bad
actors but also very effective ones victims can simply not know who it is on the other end of
the conversation although they didn't know it when they booked they were dealing with four marketing
companies at once none of them was the actual cruise line bahamas paradise blue star cruises
called offering discounted cruises fort lauderdale-based reservation and fulfillment
services inc emailed the itinerary fort lauderdale-based royal sea's cruises emailed
the notice that the cruise was cancelled and the now-defunct grand celebration cruises billed them
as you can probably guess by now it would be very difficult if not impossible to secure any
kind of refund in situations like this there's no telling who even has your money at this point
and good luck getting any type of law enforcement to do anything they simply have no way to track
down the responsible party here lastly even with a legitimate cruise there are
plenty of ways that consumers are manipulated into spending more than they bargained for
timeshare pitches are all but guaranteed to plague your adventure if you don't know
how to avoid them hidden fees are another common strategy that plagued the vacation crews industry
when you read the contract you might be surprised at what the cruise company can get away with
canceling without prior notice limiting refunds avoiding all liability for injury or damaged
property and preventing any litigation against them are some commonly included clauses in the
contract you would have to sign for a spot on the cruise so what can you do if you're planning a
cruise is it even worth the hassle well here are a few things to consider before you book anything
first off plenty of reputable cruise lines will take many steps to ensure your vacation
goes as smoothly as possible travel insurance is also available to protect your vacation funding
if things go wrong and the trip is canceled for any reason if you're feeling overwhelmed just
ask for all the information you can including any contracts you would have to sign to reserve a spot
make sure you think about each aspect of your trip are you expecting to consume alcohol
will you need any hotel accommodations beside the cabin on the ship itself are you planning
on bringing anything back with you it is much easier to ensure a great trip if you're thorough
it would be best to do plenty of research before giving out any personal information
make sure to get the company's phone number and address so that you can look them up on the better
business bureau this will help you compare apples to apples without the veil of marketing hype
that most companies try to pull over consumers eyes when inquiring about a specific cruise be
sure to read all the fine print and get as many physical documents as possible it is important
to understand the policies on cancellations refunds detours upgrades and contingency plans
if things don't go as expected if you still aren't sure about your ability to detect scams
the best thing is to book through a travel agent who is trained to avoid questionable offers
all in all these scams should be somewhat easy to spot nothing is ever free and always look up
the company you're thinking of using for a cruise before you book if someone contacts you with an
offer be sure to take their information down and call the official phone number for the cruise line
they are claiming to represent ask the customer service rep if that person works there and is
qualified to offer you cruise packages at the rates they promised if things just don't feel
right or are too good to be true listen to your instinct as it is probably correct in this case
there are so many of these scams out there that you are almost guaranteed to find yourself
in the crosshairs of a scammer once you click on any email or text promising a free cruise
just be sure not to click on any links to other websites as this is how they will infect your
electronic devices with spyware and malware that track your personal information for them if you
can avoid the scams you'll have a great cruise vacation with memories that last a lifetime
so don't let this information scare you too much with these tips at your disposal you can proceed
confidently into the cruise of your dreams just like the ads promise we hope you find
these tips useful and if you have any questions or tips to add make sure to leave a comment below
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