You receive a phone call - it’s either a tape recorded message (with an invite to call a number) or a live operator. The agent informs you that you have won a free cruise to Florida or any other nice warm destination.
You have heard all about scams so you check out the cruise and find out that it really does exist! All you have to pay is a tax of $200 or so (justified that as transfer fees, gratuity, booking charges, etc). You give them your credit card number and soon afterwards you receive a plane ticket to the city of departure for this cruise!
The trouble is, the ticket is just a companion ticket, meaning that you can’t use it unless you are going with a companion paying the full fare. At this point you wonder whether to give up, but you’ve already paid $200, the cruise really does exist and so you feel that you and your partner can go there together for the price of one. It’s a good deal, right?
This is what happens: you fly to Florida and they meet you at the airport, very professional. They take you to a beautiful hotel and they tell you about the departure of the cruise, which is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Everything seems great.
You are also told that the next morning, before the cruise, you have to attend a 1-hour timeshare presentation. You don’t really want to attend that, but you are told that the ticket for your return flight can only be picked up at the presentation; so if you don’t go, you have to find your own way home.
With no other choice, you go there and see another 250 people in the same situation. The timeshare presentation will be very aggressive and they use almost illegal methods to force you to buy a timeshare. They have every trick in the book and they use them all in order to make you sign that check.
Also, the promised 1-hour promised extends to about 6, until they get enough people trapped into buying, relying on fatigue and mind games. The number of people who fall for this is ridiculously high.
How to avoid: every time you receive a “free” award, ask for a contract in which are stipulated all the requirements, costs, and complete schedule, beforehand. If they refuse to do it – you know you are being taken for a ride - of a different kind.