Imagine opening your mail and finding a voucher good for two free airline tickets to any destination in the continental United States. Great offer, right? That’s what some recipients thought initially when they opened letters from
US Airlines, that had printed on the envelope, “Travel Check Voucher Enclosed” and “FINAL NOTICE”. The “award notification” explained that the sender had made several attempts to contact the recipient to inform them of the travel voucher awarded to them.
The recipients are prompted to call a toll-free number right away to see if they qualify to receive the travel certificate. Once the recipient calls, dreams of a free trip unfortunately soar away.
The offer is really a marketing ploy devised to get individuals to call and receive a sales pitch to attend a travel club presentation. At the 90-minute presentation, the “free” trip soon turns into a costly one due to the fees attached to the offer, including
fees to join the travel club (between $1,500-9,000), as well as a $50 application fee for the “free” tickets.
The solicitors have flooded mailboxes across the country using names that sound similar to actual legitimate airlines. Some of the used names include US Airlines, American Airways, and United Airways, none of which are actual airlines. The envelopes are
sometimes disguised to look like official notices and have no return address. Often the only contact information provided is the phone number you call to redeem the offer, which makes it difficult to track down these businesses.
Business Consumer Alliance (“BCA”) warns consumers to use caution when contacted with offers for “free” products or services. These often come with conditions and undisclosed or hidden fees. Before you
respond to any unsolicited offer, BCA offers the following helpful tips:
- Evaluate the offer to see if it seems too good to be true. Inspect the letter for telltale signs that the offer may not be what it seems. Look for typos, incomplete or out of the country addresses, handwritten letters, etc.
- Consider why the solicitation was sent to you and what you did to deserve such an offer. Any offer to receive something for nothing should be considered a red flag.
- Check out the company by obtaining a reliability report from BCA. Consumers who look up
US Airlines will see that the business has an F rating with BCA and they do business under various names. Also, check the Internet for any complaints, reviews, or information that others may have on the company.
- Never give out your personal or financial information to anyone until you have thoroughly checked them out.
- Don’t be fooled by high-pressure tactics or marketing ploys that try to get you to make a decision before you have had time to evaluate the offer. Don’t fall for “act now”, “last notification”, or “final attempt” claims.
- Inquire about all requirements and fees involved in the offer. Travel clubs often have high membership fees and limited choice of destinations or travel dates.
Have you been a victim of this scam or have you received solicitations from this company? The
BCA Scam Watch team would like to hear from you.