The Better Business Bureau has tips on how you can avoid travel scams

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – A First Alert to protect yourself when it comes to travel scams.

According to the Better Business Bureau, so far this year, over $265,000 were lost to those scams.

Experts said thieves usually target people looking for great deals online and low prices.

The BBB encourages you to plan ahead, do your research, and be alert, especially when you’re online.

Garet Smitherman with BBB said the most common travel scams according to BBB are hotel and flight bookings.

“What we are seeing is that maybe they are being redirected to another website that looks official, but they are not catching that its clearly not,” Smitherman said.

That’s exactly what happened to a couple who lost $1,000 from a hotel booking that wasn’t real.

“They then reached out to the actual hotel who then confirmed that there wasn’t a reservation in their name,” Smitherman said. “They reached back out to who they booked with and basically, they said this is a non-refundable reservation, the best we can do is cancel it but you’re not getting your money back.”

To avoid this, the BBB suggests checking the URLs, sticking to reputable booking sites, booking directly, or getting a travel agent.

“Now of course if you are using a travel agent you are going to potentially spend a little bit more than trying to finagle it yourself, but you are also essentially eliminating all of that risk if you are using a high-quality travel agent,” Smitherman said.

Other tips from the BBB include paying with a credit card, getting travel insurance, and booking early for the best deals and lowest prices.

For more information head over to BBB’s website.

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