The surge in leisure travel as pandemic restrictions lift and a tight supply of rental cars have brought out the criminals this summer, consumer watch

That Cheap Car Rental May Be a Fraud

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2021-06-20 20:30:06

The surge in leisure travel as pandemic restrictions lift and a tight supply of rental cars have brought out the criminals this summer, consumer watchdogs say.

The Federal Trade Commission as well as consumer groups and rental companies are warning travelers about schemes that lure them into booking phony reservations through fake customer service numbers and websites.

The problem is that rental car companies have been whipsawed in the pandemic, dealing first with a sudden and extended drop in demand and now with an equally sudden increase in bookings. The result has been higher prices and more challenges in reserving cars during peak times in popular tourist areas. That may leave customers vulnerable to bogus offers that appear to provide the car not only that they want but at a seemingly more reasonable rate, said Emily Wu, a lawyer with the Federal Trade Commission’s division of consumer and business education.

Recent complaints to the AARP Fraud Watch Network and the Better Business Bureau describe similar schemes. In some cases, consumers did not realize they had been duped until they showed up at the rental counter to learn there was no record of their reservation.