Beware of This Cruise Cancellation Scam: How a Fake Customer Service Number Could Cost You
The Scary New Travel Scam You Need to Know About
We’ve all seen scam texts about fake EZPass fees or the infamous car warranty call. In those cases, the scammers come to you. But what happens when you call them, using a number you thought was legit? That’s exactly what happened to a friend of mine, and it nearly cost her.
My friend needed to cancel a Royal Caribbean cruise she had booked earlier this year. She no longer wanted to leave from Florida and wanted to book a different cruise leaving out of New York. According to her contract, she still had a couple of days left within the time to cancel without much penalty, just $100.
She pulled up the confirmation paperwork she received when booking the cruise and called the customer service number listed in the documents: (888) 738-0812. An agent picked up and told her that to cancel her reservation, she would have to pay her entire balance, and then they could fully refund her (minus $100). He asked her for a credit card number. Something didn’t sit right with her, as she had the policy in front of her, and it mentioned nothing about paying off a balance before being allowed to cancel and get a refund. She hung up, saying she needed time to think it over, knowing she still had a few days left to cancel with only a minor penalty.
The following day, she did a quick search online and found a different customer service number: (800) 256-6649. The agent she talked to said she could easily refund the deposit, less the $100 penalty. Once the agent said that to her, Elainna paused and told her what had happened the night before. The agent on the phone said there was no record of her calling the night before and said it must have been a scam. When I contacted my friend to write this story, she told me she pulled up the email, and the initial number she called was no longer listed. Pretty creepy right?
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How Did the Wrong Number Get There?
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How to Know If You Are Being Scammed
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Quick Tips to Avoid Travel Scams
- Always verify customer service numbers on the company’s- official website
- Be suspicious if there's no- recorded greeting
- If the rep won’t name the company, hang up
- Never give payment info unless you’re 100% sure of the source
- If the information they give you differs from the information in your contract, hang up and look for a different phone number.
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What to Do If You Have Been Scammed
- If you paid with a credit card, contact the credit card company or bank and tell them there is a fraudulent charge. They should reverse the transaction and give you your money back.
- If you gave out any personal information (social security number, bank information), go to IdentityTheft.gov and fill out a report. Follow the suggested steps.
- Report the fraud to the- FTC
This is where things get incredibly unsettling. My friend never clicked a shady email or visited a sketchy site. The fake number was in the confirmation paperwork she received after booking—or at least appeared to be. It’s unclear whether it was a corrupted PDF, a redirect from a spoofed link, or some other trick, but scammers are getting more sophisticated.
This shows that even when you think you're dealing with official documents,it pays to double-check, especially regarding payments or cancellations. Don’t rely solely on paperwork or even booking confirmations. Instead, go to the official company website and cross-check any phone numbers or contact information.
I did my own research and called the first number she called. The person who answered said, “Reservation desk.” I asked who I was calling, and they said it was “the cruise reservation desk.” I said I dialed the wrong number. I then called the number listed on the Royal Caribbean website and got a recorded message thanking me for calling Royal Caribbean and that my call was being monitored. There's a big difference between the two.
These days, almost any big company you call will have a recorded greeting first, before you get to an actual agent. You should immediately get suspicious if someone picks up and there is no recording. If a person does pick up and there is no recording, they should specify who you are calling (in this case, Royal Caribbean). Chances are, if they answer with some vague “customer service” or “reservation desk” without a specific company, it is part of a scam.
Not everyone is as lucky as my friend, and may give the credit card information. If you find yourself in this situation, follow these steps: