Buyer Beware: Travel Scam Advice

DINE inns won't scam guestsRecently we read some great advice from travel pundit, Peter Greenberg, about travel Scams. In an article entitled Travel Tip: What You Should Know About Travel Scams Greenberg explained the reason behind many of the popular scams, how to spot them and how to avoid identity theft from occurring from them.  We at Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE) wanted to share this advice with you and add our pledge that the 12 DINE inns will never sell your contact information or in any way breach your security in any knowing way.

Sadly scammers seem to prey more on grandparents than any other group. Unfortunately, senior citizens are a common target, and lose about $2.9 billion to financial scams a year. You’ve probably received one of those phone calls or desperate emails from someone sounding like a family member who seems to know just enough about you to get you into trouble. Not surprisingly, that “family member” needs money—fast. Many of these scammers learn information about potential targets and their families by looking at your social media channels and gathering information about you and your family and friends.

Says Greenberg in his article, “The lure of a free or deeply discounted trip is powerful and seductive. It’s all part of a technique called fishing—an attempt to collect private information to sell to identity thieves. The offer will almost always feature the name or recognizable logo of a well-known hotel chain, airline, or travel-related brand.”

Greenberg offers the following advice to those who receive “too good to be true” offers by phone or email.

  • If you receive something in the mail or online that offers free travel, copy the address of the sender and search Google for the validity of the name.
  • If “prize” is mentioned or you’re told you’re a winner, Greenberg says there is more than a 90 percent chance that if you respond, you’re the loser. By responding, the scammers capture your email and can use or sell it.
  • Even more importantly, never use a credit card to pay for anything until you can verify that the validity of company featured in the offer. That can be done by calling the company and asking to verify the offer.

While we hope that you’ve subscribed to receive newsletters and offers from Distinctive Inns of New England. Please trust that our newsletters and offers will be truly legitimate. We will never ask you to send credit card information over email, so if you get such an offer from someone posing as Distinctive Inns of New England, please contact info@distinctiveinns.com immediately.

We do, however, from time to time offer contests or giveaways where you might register on a secure page. And as those who’ve visited us know, each DINE inn will offer guests $50 in DINE Dollars for their next visit to try another one of the Distinctive Inns of New England. Click here to learn more about DINE bucks. From time to time, you’ll find gift certificate special offers, hot deals and Cyber Monday specials from DINE inns too. Click here to subscribe to receive our newsletters and offers so you can be the first to know.

Learn more about the 12 Distinctive Inns of New England by clicking below on links that will take you directly to each of their websites where your next New England romantic getaway can begin.

In Maine:  Captain Jefferds Inn in Kennebunkport & Camden Maine Stay Inn in Camden.

In New Hampshire:  Manor on Golden Pond in Holderness & Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield

In Massachusetts:  Harbor Light Inn in Marblehead, Gateways Inn & Restaurant in Lenox, Deerfield Inn in Historic Deerfield and Captain’s House Inn in Chatham on Cape Cod.

In Rhode Island: Cliffside Inn in Newport

In Connecticut: Inn at Harbor Hill Marina in Niantic

In Vermont:  Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford & Grafton Inn in Grafton