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<p>Getting ready to travel this holiday season? Don&#8217;t just buckle your seat belt to stay safe.</p><p>Make sure you also protect yourself from potential scams during the &#8220;most wonderful time of the year,&#8221; as Andy Williams would sing. The holiday season is a popular time for fraudsters to prey on stressed and weary travelers.</p><p><strong>Bah humbug bookings</strong></p><p>Use reputable websites that you trust to plan your excursion &#8220;over the river and through the woods.&#8221; The Better Business Bureau issued a warning earlier this month for consumers to be on the lookout for fake, look-alike websites when booking a trip.</p><p>&#8220;Watch out for URLs that use the names of well-known brands along with extra words,&#8221; states the warning.</p><p>The bureau&#8217;s website, <a href="http://www.bbb.org" target="_blank">www.bbb.org</a>, can help you find out whether the website is naughty or nice.</p><p><strong>Ho-hum hotel schemes</strong></p><p>An area hotel recently distributed a letter to guests reminding them not to give anyone their credit card information over the phone. Thomas Wilson, property manager at Woodsprings Suites in Wilkes-Barre said he had heard of the scam circulating at local hotels, so he wanted to issue a warning for his guests.</p><p>The scam goes something like this: The guest receives a call late at night from someone claiming to be the front desk, saying the computers crashed. If the guest doesn&#8217;t provide his or her credit card info on the spot, he or she will be kicked out into the cold.</p><p>Ed Michinski, general manager of Holiday Inn East Mountain, said the scam is nothing new, but hotels nowadays have the technology and protections in place to prevent this from happening.</p><p>When outside callers call the hotel, &#8220;callers are asked to verify the room occupant,&#8221; he said. Michinski also said it&#8217;s rare for people to call hotel rooms in general, since cellphones are usually a primary way to contact someone.</p><p>He said the Holiday Inn also uses caller ID to protect guests from unknown (and unwanted) callers.</p><p>The bottom line: Always do your hotel business/transactions in person at the front desk.</p><p><strong>Free Wi-Fi woes</strong></p><p>Watch out for free access to wireless internet while on the road &#8212; it&#8217;s a great opportunity for some Grinch to steal your personal information.</p><p>Don&#8217;t access your banking or financial accounts while connected to public Wi-Fi, as scammers can set up fake hotspots and suck the joy out of your happy holidays.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">In this May 4 file photo, a taxi dispatcher hands a piece of paper to a driver as other taxis line up awaiting passengers outside the arrivals area of a terminal at LaGuardia Airport, in New York. Unfortunately, there&#8217;s no time like the holidays for fraud. When traveling during the holidays, experts suggest sticking with licensed taxis or using a known ride-hailing service when out of town; and protecting details about your airline miles and loyalty points as you would your finances. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_113902147-0e68164e8e6945f69f0ef2d591377ad6-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>In this May 4 file photo, a taxi dispatcher hands a piece of paper to a driver as other taxis line up awaiting passengers outside the arrivals area of a terminal at LaGuardia Airport, in New York. Unfortunately, there&#8217;s no time like the holidays for fraud. When traveling during the holidays, experts suggest sticking with licensed taxis or using a known ride-hailing service when out of town; and protecting details about your airline miles and loyalty points as you would your finances. </caption1><photoCredit1>Kathy Willens File Photo | AP Photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Consumer Watchdog</p><p>Sarah Hite Hando</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Sarah Hite Hando is the Times Leader business editor. Reach her at 570-704-3945 or shando@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Consumer Watchdog: Beware scammers while traveling this holiday season