Popular summer scams PSP says to watch out for

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Thursday marks the first official day of summer. It’s the season for vacations, outdoor concerts, and unfortunately, scams.

Scams happen year-round, but officials say there’s an increase in fraud around popular summer activities.

Travel season is here. Whether you’re looking to relax on the beach or explore new destinations, the opportunities are endless, but so are the scams.

“If you are a victim of one of these crimes, don’t feel ashamed or silly about it because it happens to a lot of people. These websites are very legitimate looking, so don’t think it’s just you that fell for this, it’s millions of people every day falling for these kinds of scams,” said Pennsylvania State Police Troop P Trooper Bill Evans.

Many consumers are often tricked into believing they’ve won a free “dream” vacation with all the fixings.

Using a bait and switch method, scammers then ask the victims to pay a fee to claim the phony prize or pay for taxes in recurring payments.

“If they’re asking for payment, did you really win it? If someone asks you to pay for something more than once, or if they say hey you also need to pay for this, chances are you’re being scammed or tricked,” Trooper Evans explained.

Searching for the perfect place to stay? Some scammers are taking advantage of popular sites like Airbnb.

Red flags include automatic redirection to an unverified site to make the payment and requiring unusual payment methods.

“If you’re redirected to a new link, don’t enter your information. Look for that little padlock icon at the top of your search bar, and that’s a pretty good indicator having that, that you’re on a secure website,” Trooper Evans continued.

It’s no secret that scammers target and exploit ticket sales to popular concerts.

Keep an eye out for fake social media posts advertising tickets at highly discounted prices, which ask victims to pay upfront for the tickets.

“A lot of times it’s younger people going, and it’s people who don’t have a lot of experience buying things online or making safe transactions online, so I think that’s why people who do the scamming aim toward that crowd and aim toward those events,” Trooper Evans added.

As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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