As we approach the summer vacation period, the scammers will be out in droves taking advantage of people looking to get a deal on a great vacation.  One of the scams now quite prevalent involves you being notified by email, telephone or regular maili that you have won a free vacation.  You may even have entered a contest to win such a free vacation at a booth set up at a fair or other public gathering.  But be wary because many of these free trip contests are scams.  You may be asked to pay large fees in order to claim your “free” vacation or you may be asked to give a credit card number just for identification purposes.  Of course, the credit card number is not used for identification purposes, but to make you a victim of identity theft.

TIPS

Before giving any information to anyone in regard to a trip you have “won,” contact the hotel, airline or any other actual provider of services involved with the trip directly to confirm whether or not the trip that you have won is legitimate.  And even if you actually have won a trip, always read the fine print to see how “free” your trip actually is.