BBB reports increase in hotel scams

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - The Better Business Bureau is advising the community to be aware of the latest hotel scam circulating online.

They’re getting multiple reports of travelers falling victim to look-a-like websites.

It’s that time of year when many people are planning road trips and summer vacations with their families. The scam happens when travelers get online and search for their hotel or destination and you click the top result.

Scam experts with the Better Business Bureau said many people think they’re booking hotel rooms only to find out, no reservations have been made.

“The top is usually a paid ad and it’s not always the official site of the hotel, so to avoid being scammed, we want consumers to make sure that they are on the actual hotel’s website,” President of the Better Business Bureau, Monica Horton said.

Horton said a lot of times consumers have booked through a third-party booking site, assume everything is good, and don’t find out there’s a problem once they get to the hotel. She says always double-check that you’re on the official website before you enter your credit card information.

Horton also said the trouble many consumers are running into when they’ve already paid on third-party sites is that the site has a non-refundable policy.

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