Carnival Cruise Guests Targeted in Latest Cruise Scam

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The scam artists of the world are at it again – and this time they are targeting future Carnival cruise guests.

Booked guests of upcoming Carnival sailings should be on the lookout for a fraudulent operation in which scammers pretend to be a cruise line representative to collect on unpaid balances – targeting cruisers using emails and fake online advertisements that are meant to draw in victims.

However, the representatives don’t have anything to do with Carnival and the fees they are trying to collect aren’t real.

When guests who see the email or ads call the fraudulent phone number, they are connected with a mal-intentioned scammer instead of a cruise line representative – who will pressure them into providing their credit card number to pay for the fake fees and other personal information that can be used to steal oneโ€™s identity. 

With the technology of today, the scammers are able to mask their phone number to make it look like they are part of the Carnival Corporation – making them seem legitimate when they are not.

The ploy almost worked on one unidentified guest – who was reportedly on the verge of shelling out over $450 before double checking with actual Carnival representatives at the last minute. 

The scammers can be quite convincing, too. In addition to masking their phone number, they often use scare tactics like reminding guests that if they donโ€™t pay their final balance on time their cruise could be cancelled. 

That said, the cruise lines rarely call guests to follow up on an unpaid balance – especially ahead of the final deadline – or demand that guests call to do so when they can simply make payments in their online portals.

Additionally, that final payment due date would have been clearly specified at the time of booking the sailing. After that point, the date can be found in guestsโ€™ online portals, so they can easily verify when their balance is due. 

Guests who receive unsolicited calls or stumble upon one of these questionable ads or emails should verify contact information through the cruise line’s official website.

Again, many pre-cruise activities – including making payments and online check-in – can be securely completed through Carnivalโ€™s online portal or HUB App, largely rendering phone calls unnecessary. 

Cruise Scams on the Rise 

Lately, cruise guests have been reporting an influx of cruise scams – particularly regarding unauthorized charges and fake (usually heavily discounted) travel offers. These scams donโ€™t just apply to Carnival, but to other mainstream brands as well, such as Royal Caribbean. 

Perhaps most recently, two Florida residents fell victim to a Facebook ad that promoted a heavily discounted Royal Caribbean sailing onboard Utopia of the Seas. But unfortunately, this was a case of if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is (and it was). 

Nyeasha Lambert of Jacksonville and Rochelle Price of Ocala, Florida, made regular payments for a $523 cruise through Cash App to who they thought was a reputable travel agent through Cash App – but the travel agent was a scammer and no reservation was actually made.

Docked Carnival Cruise Ships and Passengers
Docked Carnival Cruise Ships and Passengers (Photo Credit: Darryl Brooks)

Read Also: How to Save Money on a Cruise: Cash-Savvy Spending Tips

Unfortunately, stories like this arenโ€™t uncommon. Just to name a couple examples from recent years, headlines circulated regarding a woman in England paying ยฃ6,300 to book a Caribbean cruise through a fraudulent company on eBay and another man getting arrested in North Carolina on charges of selling fake Alaskan cruises.

While booking directly with the cruise line is the most surefire way to avoid scams, it is true that booking through some discount sites or reputable travel agencies can save some money. 

That said, prospective cruisers should take care to make sure they really are booking with a reputable source – such as by checking reviews on Google Reviews, Trustpilot, or the Better Business Bureau.

It may also be safer to use widely known travel services offered by reputable companies – like Costco, AAA, and AARP – rather than relying on a relatively unknown travel professional.

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Catie Kovelman
Catie Kovelman
Catie is an award-winning journalist and researcher. By day, she helps market new movies and TV shows as a senior research manager. But by night, she loves writing cruise news. In addition to Cruise Hive, Catie has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, and other online publications, such as The Plaid Horse, Unwritten, YourTango, Fangirl Nation Magazine, Chapman Magazine, the Orange County Register, and Voice of OC.

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