The Better Business Bureau is warning travelers to be on the lookout for scams when they go to book their summer vacations. The BBB advised customers to avoid third-party travel sites that charge excessive fees for booking or changing flights.
"Consumers need to be careful when they're online," Katherine Hutt, chief communications officer for the BBB, told Good Morning America. "Searching for an airline or other travel service, they may come across a website that looks like it's the real deal, but it could be a third party that's going to charge an extra fee for a transaction that you could have done for yourself for free."
Kathleen Marcozzim, who almost fell victim to a scam, said she wanted to change her flight, so she went to Google to find the number for American Airlines. The number that turned up in the search results was not for American Airlines. Instead, she was connected with somebody who works for a company called Travel Service Pad.
Marcozzim said she was told she needed to pay $400 and sign a document. She was warned that she would lose her flight if she didn't sign it.
Marcozzim refused to sign the document and contacted American Airlines directly. After speaking with a representative, she was able to change her flight free of charge.
The BBB said it has received 19 complaints about the company, which also goes by the name Globehunters.
In a blog post, the Better Business Bureau described another scam, where somebody from the travel site will call you after you book your flight, demanding additional fees. In some cases, the sites will charge your card for a flight that isn't even available.
"One victim told BBB Scam Tracker: 'I received a phone call right after [I booked the flight] stating that they wanted $100 per passenger to finalize my flight.' Then, after calling the airline to complain, the victim discovered that 'the flight wasn't available, to begin with. The flight was never booked... this company just charged my card,'" the BBB wrote.
The agency advised customers to do their research before booking their flights.
"Be wary of third-party websites. Some websites appear to offer a legitimate service but are only fronts for a scam. Be suspicious of websites with no working customer service number and no physical address. Typos and grammatical errors can be indications of a scammer's handiwork, too," the agency said.
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