Scams involving the booking of 'cheap travel packages'

On the afternoon of November 4th, the Tuyen Quang Provincial Police announced that recently, taking advantage of the public's demand for sightseeing and tourism and the trend of searching for travel information advertised on social media services (Zalo, Facebook, etc.), fraudulent schemes involving "cheap travel packages" have emerged, inviting people to book tours and pay deposits to reserve their spots, then stealing the money.

398805961 740435738120675 6493291030447204172 n.jpg — The image was provided by the police.

From there, the police determined that the suspects constructed a scam using the "cheap travel package" scheme, deceiving people by posting advertisements on the Internet and social media selling cheap tours and hotel rooms with many included benefits, requesting money transfers (30-50% of the value) as a deposit for the tour or hotel room, and then stealing the deposit money.

Furthermore, this group also posts advertisements for visa services for overseas travel, promising a high success rate and a 100% refund if the visa is not granted. After tourists transfer payment or a portion of the fee, the perpetrators will let them fill out the application form and complete the documents themselves... Then, they will claim that the tourists provided incomplete information and refuse to refund the money.

In addition, these individuals also create fake websites and Fanpages of reputable travel companies, forge photos of receipts and invoices, and request bank transfers for tour costs. After customers transfer money to pay for the travel services, the perpetrators block communication and erase all traces.

These individuals also impersonate airline ticket agents, creating websites and social media pages with addresses and designs similar to those of official airlines or agents, then advertising with very attractive prices compared to the general market to attract customers.

If a customer contacts them, the scammers will book airline tickets, send a booking code as proof, and request payment. After receiving payment, they do not issue the airline tickets and cut off communication. Because the booking code has not been issued as an airline ticket, it will automatically cancel after a while, and the customer will only find out about this when they arrive at the airport.

Based on the above recommendations, the leaders of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Police Department suggest that people should carefully research information when choosing travel packages, and should choose tour booking, hotel booking, and flight ticket booking services from reputable companies or through travel apps.

For greater peace of mind, people can request to see the business license, documents, professional certificates, etc., of the travel and tourism company.

Be wary of offers for tour packages at excessively low prices (30-50% cheaper than market rates); be cautious when travel agencies request a deposit to reserve a spot, and if possible, make the payment in person.

In particular, for social media pages (Fanpages) used for buying and selling travel packages, especially budget travel packages and cheap airline tickets, people should choose social media pages with a blue checkmark (indicating registered accounts) or choose reputable social media pages where they know the seller's information well.

Double-check your hotel booking and flight ticket information to promptly detect any signs of fraud and report them to the nearest police station for guidance and resolution.

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