A great deal can seem too good to turn down, but Virgin Voyages is reaching out to guests to alert them to new fraud and scam problems that appear to be targeting the cruise line’s “Sailors.”
The cruise line has emailed Sailors with tips for how to avoid such schemes and protect their bookings.
“We’ve become aware that some Sailors are being targeted by scammers and fraudsters,” the email read. “As part of our commitment to keeping you safe and secure when you sail with us, we ask that you read the below tips to help avoid these schemes and protect your personal information.”
First, prospective guests should be aware that anyone offering to resell their reservation – typically with a steep discount or a sob story about how they can no longer take the voyage – is likely a scam.
Virgin Voyages only offers sailings directly through their website, registered travel advisors (called “First Mates”) or via the Sailor Services team.
Guests should also verify that anyone they are booking a Virgin Voyages cruise with is an authorized cruise line partner. This can help avoid third-party scams and false bookings.
“Special offers” through social media sites are also often scams. To avoid those too-tempting offers, look for misspellings, lack of detailed information, or suspicious names and always double-check for authenticity.
Finally, guests are advised to be ultra-cautious about their booking information. If scammers get individual details, they could possibly cancel or alter the reservation without authorization – as happened to a Carnival cruise guest who shared her booking information online.
“Treat your reservation ID as confidential,” Virgin Voyages said. “Do not share it with others or post it on social media.”
The cruise line notes that they will not call booked guests to ask for payments or personal information over the phone. If guests receive such calls, they should hang up immediately and instead contact Virgin Voyages through the official website or call the Sailor Services team for confirmation.
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While the tips offered may seem like common sense, scammers are always getting more clever and realistic, fooling even the most vigilant travelers.
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Such scams might arrive as emails that look official due to stolen graphics, false email addresses, and spoofed names or contact numbers.
Another tactic is for scammers to call booked travelers and either ask for payment information or offer upgrades or add-ons that require immediate payment to take advantage of so-called special deals.
These are always fraudulent schemes, no matter which cruise line they target, and any booked guest can be vulnerable to such scams.
Even in port, cruise passengers might find themselves faced with fraud and confusing opportunities that turn out to be scams. For example, a recent Royal Caribbean guest was a victim of a taxi scam at Port Canaveral.
The most vigilant travelers will always research their cruises and ensure they have secure bookings, avoiding too-good-to-be-true upsells and add-ons that come from unauthorized sources.
Checking email addresses and phone numbers for authenticity as well as keeping copies of emails and notifications can help protect travelers.
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Always be sure to book a cruise through authorized agents or directly with the cruise line for the most security, and do not offer payment information in any way except through secure sites.
Once booked, guests should take a variety of precautions to protect their booking information, including not forwarding reservation emails to others, keeping details off social media, and avoiding mentioning exact sailing dates or ships that scammers could use to uncover more reservation information.
