When L. Williams chose to take a Caribbean cruise, she booked it with a travel agent employed by Carnival Cruise Line. Well, at least she thought she was booking with Carnival. It turns out the person who made her reservation wasn’t a cruise consultant at all — he was a scammer.
Unfortunately, it would be five years before Williams discovered she’d lost $3,500 to that crook posing as a travel agent.
You read that right. Five years.
Williams took that cruise aboard Carnival Freedom back in December 2019. She says her family had a wonderful weeklong trip sailing through the Western Caribbean.
They returned home with beautiful photographs, fond memories and no inkling of the trouble looming on the horizon.
Fast forward to 2024. The family decided to cruise again with Carnival Cruise Line.
“My extended family wanted to book a Carnival cruise, so I decided we should join them,” Williams told me. “We booked two cabins, and Carnival sent me a confirmation. We were really looking forward to the trip.”
Williams didn’t know it at the time, but she wouldn’t be taking that cruise or any other Carnival cruise any time soon.
She was about to find out what the worst-case scenario is if you unknowingly book a cruise with a fraudster. Learn from her mistakes so you can avoid being scammed out of your cruise vacation dollars.
Carnival: Your last cruise was paid for with a stolen credit card
A few months after booking the new cruise, Williams says she signed in to her Carnival account to make the final payment.
“I noticed right away that my information wasn’t visible,” she recalled. “No one else’s cruise reservation was missing. Only mine was gone.”
Assuming there was a glitch in the system, Williams called the cruise line.
A Carnival agent soon gave her startling news: The deleted cruise reservation wasn’t a mistake. Williams was not welcome to take the currently planned cruise. According to the employee, Carnival had permanently added Williams’ name to its “Do Not Sail” list back in 2020.
“I was stunned,” she said. “He [the Carnival agent] told me that our last cruise had never been paid for. He said the credit card that was used to pay for the trip was reported stolen after we returned. The cruise payment was reversed by the bank. I have no idea how the travel agent I used paid for the cruise. But I paid him $3,500 for that trip.”
The Carnival representative went on to tell Williams she owed the cruise line $3,500. But even if she paid it back, there was no promise she’d be unbanned from the cruise line. The representative didn’t explain why the cruise line hadn’t informed her of her status on the Do Not Sail list.
Thoroughly confused by the awful turn of events, she contacted me to see if I could help straighten out this bizarre situation.
Cruiser mistake No. 1: She didn’t vet her travel agent
As a consumer reporter and mediator, I receive hundreds of requests for help from cruise passengers every year who have all types of problems. Many of the expensive predicaments are the result of the cruisers’ own mistakes and could have easily been avoided.
I do my best to correct the issues, but unfortunately, a number of the cruise complaints that land in my inbox can’t be fixed. Williams’ request for help was one of them.
She had made several disastrous mistakes along the way when she booked the 2019 cruise. Those errors put her $3,500 in the hands of a scammer pretending to be a travel agent instead of where it belonged — with Carnival Cruise Line.
Her first mistake? She didn’t vet the person who claimed to be a Carnival cruise consultant. He was not employed by the cruise line, and that could have been determined with just a bit of sleuthing on Williams’ part.
Cruise passengers beware: If you intend to allow someone to make payments to the cruise line on your behalf, you must do some research to vet that person before handing over your vacation dollars. If you don’t, you’re putting your money and possibly your reputation at risk.
When I asked Williams how she met this “travel agent,” she said someone who had used him previously referred him to her. Looking back, she admits it was not an enthusiastic recommendation nor a real-life connection. She never met this agent, nor did the person who referred her to him.
“It was bad judgment on my part. I should have done my research,” Williams told me. “I feel awful because I even recommended him to more people later. I don’t know if he scammed others.”
Related: Cruise scams: Why you should toss that ‘free cruise’ card in the trash
Cruiser mistake No. 2: She paid for the cruise in cash
Not vetting the person she thought was a professional travel agent was a mistake. But it wasn’t the worst mistake Williams made in this cruise fiasco.
The most significant error that Williams made was not paying for her cruise with her own credit card and instead sending $3,500 to this fraudster via Zelle.
The Fair Credit Billing Act provides purchase protection to consumers who use their credit cards to pay for goods and services. It is always the safest way to pay for a cruise or excursion because if you don’t get what you paid for, you can file a credit card dispute with your bank and, if the facts are on your side, get your money back.
Related: Why nearly every purchase should be on a credit card
This protection is not extended to consumers who use cash, checks, wire transfers, gift cards or money transfer apps like Zelle.
Zelle transactions are instant and irreversible bank-to-bank transfers. These transactions are also anonymous, with Zelle users sending money through phone numbers or email addresses. If you accidentally send your money to the wrong person or a scammer, your bank will not tell you where your money landed, and you likely will not get your cash back.
Zelle’s instant nature and anonymity make it highly appealing to scammers.
In fact, Zelle has surpassed wire transfers as the No. 1 preferred payment method of crooks. That’s why it’s critical to only use Zelle as it was intended: to send money to friends and family (i.e., people you know and trust in real life).
Zelle should never be used to pay for a cruise or excursion because these transactions come with zero purchase protection for consumers. If you hand over a large sum of money to someone you don’t really know, you’re putting your cash at risk.
A real travel agent will let you pay with a credit card
Williams didn’t know anything about Zelle, which made her an easy target for this scammer.
“I wanted to pay with my American Express card, but he [the scammer] said he could only accept Zelle,” she told me. “I didn’t think much about it. So I sent him the money.”
Instantly, the con artist had Williams’ $3,500, then used a stolen credit card to book the cruise. Later, the owner of that stolen credit card noticed the cruise charges on their account and filed a dispute.
The entire time the family was sailing around the Caribbean enjoying their time together, they had no idea that the cruise had been paid for with a stranger’s stolen credit card.
“I feel sick about this, but I don’t understand why Carnival never contacted me,” Williams complained. “Maybe I could have had a chance to get my money back if I’d known sooner. Then I could have paid the cruise line directly.”
That’s unlikely. Bad actors who use stolen credit cards and Zelle to conduct their business typically vanish without a trace after they snag a victim. And that is exactly what happened here. Williams never heard from this fake travel agent again, and the phone number she used to reach him is now out of service.
Instead of planning a new cruise, Williams is figuring out how to pay $3,500 for the one that she took five years ago. It remains to be seen if Carnival will take her off the Do Not Sail list after she pays that bill.
She realized far too late that she should not have trusted the virtual stranger with her vacation dollars. Had she used her own credit card to pay for her cruise, none of this would have happened.
“It’s been an embarrassing nightmare,” she said.
Carnival declined to comment on Williams’ situation, but it’s important to note that no cruise consultant employed by Carnival would ever ask a customer to pay with a cash app like Zelle. That request alone should have raised a glaring red flag for Williams.
Fact: The cruise line is not responsible for investigating the person you allow to book your trip.
Had Williams’ case involved an actual cruise consultant employed by Carnival, her story could have had a different ending. The cruise line would have investigated the agent’s actions and protected its customer.
Related: 8 travel insurance mistakes to avoid before your next cruise
How to safely book your cruise and avoid scams
Unfortunately, the world has no shortage of ethically challenged predators trolling the internet and looking for ways to take your money. Scams are lurking everywhere, and I read about new ones every day.
The good news is that cruise passengers can take simple steps to greatly reduce their chances of being scammed.
Don’t be fooled by Facebook ads and groups, flashy websites or self-declared titles
Cruise ship passengers should never be lulled into a false sense of security just because someone calls themselves a travel agent, has an official-looking website or advertises on Facebook. In fact, scammers and disreputable quasi-businesses do all of the above. Keep in mind:
- Facebook doesn’t vet the people and entities that place ads in your newsfeed. Nearly anyone with a few bucks can create and post an advertisement targeted to a specific audience.
- Facebook groups are free to create, and the social media giant’s community is filled with groups designed to scam members.
- It’s easy for bad actors to create professional-looking websites to phish for victims. Those sites disappear after their mission is accomplished, and the predators start again with a new name and website.
- The term “travel agent” is not a protected title. Anyone can use that term to describe who they are and what they do — including a scammer.
Always research the travel agent or agency you intend to use
Before booking a cruise with any third-party seller, it’s critical to do some research. Put the person’s name and business into an internet search and see what pops up.
In today’s digital world, it is nearly impossible for a reputable business or travel adviser not to have an internet footprint. If you’re unable to find any information about the person or agency you’re researching, take it as a warning sign. Either the agency is brand-new, or you might not be dealing with a reputable business.
Look for reviews of the company or agent on sites like Yelp and Trustpilot.
You might be tempted to check the Better Business Bureau to determine if a travel seller is trustworthy. If you do, focus on the complaints and reviews rather than the specific rating or accreditation status. In my experience, I’ve observed companies on the verge of collapse with A ratings and reputable businesses listed without accreditation.
That’s because the BBB bestows accreditation on businesses that pay an annual fee, and many reputable companies — especially small businesses — do not choose to participate. However, the BBB can add a business to its public database without accreditation, a practice that can be misleading to folks doing online research.
Beware of Google search results
A somewhat recent phenomenon is scam call centers appearing at the top of the Google search results posing as the official sites of the major airlines and popular third-party booking agents. Many bewildered consumers have been scammed out of hundreds and even thousands of dollars after calling the numbers that appear in the search results for their favorite travel providers.
Unfortunately, these bad actors have now expanded their fake customer service operations to cover cruise lines as well. If you are trying to reach a cruise line to book a cruise, only call the number that appears on the company’s official website.
Never pay for your cruise with cash or an instant money transfer
Always insist on using a credit card to pay for your cruise (or other affiliated purchases, such as excursions). Remember, consumers who use instant bank-to-bank cash transfers have zero purchase protection should things go wrong.
If the provider doesn’t allow you to pay with a credit card, it’s best to move on. Reputable businesses accept credit cards; scammers and quasi-businesses prefer cash or bank transfers.
Plus, with the right credit card, you can also earn points and miles for what could be a large vacation payment. A cruise purchase might even be enough to satisfy the minimum spending requirement for the bonus offer on a new credit card. The right card might also give you some travel protection if something goes wrong during your trip.
Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises
Ask if the travel agent carries Errors and Omissions insurance
Anyone can make a mistake. Professional travel agents carry Errors and Omissions insurance to protect themselves from the financial repercussions of a mistake.
A good way to weed out scammers and unprofessional agents is to ask for proof that they carry Errors and Omissions insurance.
Better yet — stick with the cruise line and professional travel agents
I’m an enthusiastic cheerleader of professional travel advisers. A significant number of the cases I mediate every year could have been avoided entirely had the traveler engaged a professional travel adviser.
A great way to find a reputable travel adviser is through the American Society of Travel Advisors’ website. ASTA members are required to uphold a level of integrity and professionalism.
In fact, you can use the ASTA website to find qualified travel advisers who specialize in cruise travel or other vacation types. As an added bonus, if something goes wrong, you can bring your complaint to the ASTA.
The Cruise Lines International Association also has a professional membership program for individual travel agents and agencies that specialize in cruise vacations. You can check if a member is in good standing on the CLIA website.
If you’re a member of AAA, your local branch can connect you with a reputable travel professional who has been vetted by the association. Although that person might not specialize in cruise travel, AAA books a lot of cruises, and many of its agents are knowledgeable about the options.
Bottom line
Your cruise vacation dollars are precious. Don’t let someone bamboozle you out of yours. If you’re careful, do your research and always use a credit card as payment, you’ll likely have a smooth sailing.
But if you run into some rough waters and need help navigating your problem, TPG is here to help. Send your request for assistance to ombudsman@thepointsguy.com, and I’ll be happy to investigate and help you if I can.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
- The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
- A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
- The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
- The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
- A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
- 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
- 15 ways cruisers waste money
- The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin
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