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On Black Friday, Shane McCormick called Costco Travel to book four cabins on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska. At least that’s what he thought he was doing. In reality, he dialed the wrong number and instead of Costco Travel he reached a scam call center.
Of course, the man on the other end of the line didn’t alert McCormick to his error. In fact, the call was exactly what the fake Costco Travel agent had been waiting for all day. The bad actor was more than happy to collect $6,000 from his unaware target.
But soon after the call ended, McCormick received a cruise confirmation, which made his mistake crystal clear. The email wasn’t from Costco Travel as he expected. The unprofessional-looking message was coming from Travocart, a company McCormick had never heard of before.
If you’re a regular reader of Consumer Rescue, though, that name might ring a bell. Travocart is making a repeat appearance in our fiasco files. The last time we heard about this scam call center, it was posing as United Airlines, ripping off one of our readers for $1,700.
These fraudsters are at it again and this time they’re pretending to be Costco Travel.
Here’s McCormick’s unpleasant experience.
Two families excitedly planning a Royal Caribbean cruise together
Last November, McCormick, his buddy, Josh, and their wives decided to take an Alaskan cruise together with their eight children. Scrolling through the Costco Travel website, the group zeroed in on a trip aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas.
The seven-night cruise would begin in Vancouver, Canada, and end in Seward, Alaska.
Because of the size of their group, they determined that they would need four cabins.
“Booking all the cabins together was challenging online,” McCormick told me. “So I thought it would be easier just to call Costco Travel.”
It probably would have been easier — if he had actually called Costco Travel. But somewhere along the way, McCormick made an error.
The correct phone number at the top of the Costco Travel site that the families were reviewing was 1-866-921-7925. But phone records would later show that McCormick inadvertently dialed the wrong area code. It was a simple mistake, but one that led him straight to a friendly con man named Nelson.
“Nothing seemed unusual,” McCormick recalled. “He asked what kind of reservation I wanted to make so I assumed it was Costco Travel.”
The group had done all the legwork for the cruise reservation and McCormick transferred the information to Nelson. They wanted two balcony cabins per family on Ovation of the Seas, preferably all together.
No problem, the faker assured McCormick. He would just need to pay a $1,500 deposit to secure the reservation. After taking McCormick’s Credit card number, Nelson asked to speak to Josh so that he could get his payment details.
By the end of just one call, Nelson had successfully extracted two credit card numbers from his victims.
It was a very productive day for this scammer.
That wasn’t Costco Travel. What is Travocart?
The families were happily chatting about the, now-confirmed cruise, when an email arrived from Nelson. Suddenly the mood in the house changed. McCormick and Josh each expected to pay a $1,500 deposit for their two cabins. But the message from Nelson noted that he would be charging each credit card double that figure.
“I noticed right away that the email was coming from Travocart, not Costco Travel,” McCormick explained. “And we had each been charged $3,000!”
Even worse, the reservation only confirmed one cabin for the entire group — with an obstructive view to boot.
McCormick called Nelson back and told him to cancel the whole reservation. But Nelson informed his unhappy “customer” that the deal was done and that the cruise deposit was nonrefundable. When McCormick accused Nelson of misrepresenting himself as an agent of Costco Travel, the man doubled down on his fake identity.
“He told me that Costco Travel was sending the holiday overflow traffic to him,” McCormick told me. “Nelson said that all the cabins would be confirmed by Monday. He was trying to portray himself as legitimate, but by then I knew he wasn’t.”
Not getting anywhere with Nelson, McCormick hung up. Then he called his credit card company and asked them to block any charges from Travocart. Josh did the same. Both had their cards canceled and replaced and they hoped that would be the end of the problem.
Of course, it would not be the end of the problem. As we saw in our introduction to Travocart, this is a group of particularly tenacious fraudsters.
Booking the cruise with the real Costco Travel
Believing that they had nipped the scam in the bud, the families started over with their cruise planning.
The next time McCormick dialed the number for Costco Travel he was super careful.
The real Costco Travel agent gave the group some bad news: The cabins they wanted on Ovation of the Seas were no longer available. So the two families selected a different week and confirmed their Alaska cruise.
When the actual cruise confirmation from Costco Travel arrived a little while later, they all breathed a sigh of relief. They even laughed a bit at the earlier near-miss fiasco.
But that light-hearted view of their interaction with Nelson and Travocart would soon take a more ominous turn.
Royal Caribbean: This is a nonrefundable deposit
The following morning, McCormick saw a $3,000 charge on his credit card from Royal Caribbean. At the same time, Josh discovered a $3,000 charge from yet another company called Flight Tickets.
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McCormick first called Royal Caribbean to find out if Travocart had actually made him a reservation on the original cruise.
They [Royal Caribbean] confirmed I had one cabin on that cruise. I asked them to cancel it and apply the deposit to my new cruise. The Royal Caribbean agent said that it wasn’t possible. She said I needed to contact the travel agent who booked the trip. Nelson took $6,000 from my friend and me and booked one cabin, but Royal Caribbean didn’t seem to understand that it was a scam.
McCormick’s next move was to call Nelson again, but now the phone number was disconnected.
Then he filed a credit card dispute. But there was a big problem with the credit card dispute: It wasn’t against Travocart, it was against Royal Caribbean. And cruise lines don’t like it when passengers file credit card disputes.
In the end, Josh won his credit card dispute. Flight Tickets was not a company that he had authorized to charge his card. The $3,000 was determined to be a fraudulent charge.
McCormick, though, lost his chargeback after Royal Caribbean fought it.
That’s when he sent his request for help to Consumer Rescue. He hoped I might be able to unravel this mess for his family.
Consumer Rescue investigates: exposing scam call centers
I’ve been writing about the rise of scam call centers across the internet for years now. Unfortunately, the more I write about this plague on the world wide web, the more awful stories from victims pour into our helpline.
McCormick’s case just happens to be the latest one I’m writing about, but there are many more in my files that are still open. Unfortunately, for some, they’ll never be resolved because the scammers convinced their victims to pay with a bank transfer. Others face difficulty convincing their credit card companies that they’ve been scammed.
Travocart and others like it often book some travel so they can legitimately charge the people who accidentally call them. That little detail makes fighting the chargeback easy for the scammers. When the credit card company asks for proof of purchase, these bad actors have it in the form of the quasitravel plans they’ve made. Typically, however, whatever they book is of a lower quality than what their victim actually asked for — like the obstructed-view cabin Nelson booked for McCormick. And then, of course, comes the giant service fee that no consumer would willingly agree to.
But credit card companies do not delve deeply into these transactions. If the merchant provides any evidence to support the charge, the consumer will lose the dispute.
The good news for Josh is that his credit card company recognized the $3,000 charged by “Flight Tickets” as fraudulent. That figure appears to have been the “fee” Travocart intended to take in this transaction.
The Royal Caribbean charge on McCormick’s credit card was valid. He lost the dispute and was stuck with one cabin with an obstructive view on a cruise he no longer intended to take.
Travocart: “Yes, this is United Airlines.”
Since McCormick was certain Nelson had said he was working for Costco Travel, I decided to call Travocart to see who the agents would pretend to be that day.
Travocart maintains a website with a phone number listed at the top of the page. I am not going to share that number here, but I called it.
Quickly, a woman answered, her voice heavy with an accent, and she said something deliberately garbled, then “airlines.”
Michelle: Who is this?
Travocart: The airlines.
M: All of them?
T: Yes, the airlines send us their overflow customers.
M: They do? Which ones?
T: All of them.
M: Well, I’m trying to reach United Airlines.
T: Yes, Ma’am. That is who you’re talking to.
M: You work for United Airlines?
T: Yes.
Also, Travocart: “Yes, this is Costco Travel.”
Just for fun, I called back again and this time a man answered. He also mumbled his opening line in what must be part of this call center’s training tactics.
Michelle: I didn’t catch what you just said. Who did I just reach?
Travocart: Who are you?
M: Well, I’m a traveler. I’m trying to reach Costco Travel.
T: Yes, that’s who you reached.
M: This is Costco Travel?
T: Yes, I just said that. What do you need help with?
M: I’m not sure this is Costco Travel. Is this the official site?
T: (sounding very irritated) Ma’am, this is the overflow call center for Costco Travel. When they have a high volume of customers, they transfer the calls here. We work together.
M: But I thought I dialed the number for Costco Travel.
T: Yes, you did. That’s what I’m explaining. We are part of Costco Travel.
M: Are you sure this isn’t a company called Travocart?
And even thought the number I called is stamped at the top of the Travocart website as its customer service number, this fraudster told me:
Travocart: No, this is Costco Travel’s consolidator.
Asking Royal Caribbean what the fake Costco Travel booked for the McCormicks
Looking through McCormick’s paper trail, I wasn’t convinced that he had been speaking to Royal Caribbean. I know from past cases that scam call centers are able to manipulate the credit card terminal to make charges appear as if they are coming from legitimate companies. (See my article for The Points Guy: Air Canada phone scam: How to identify fake airline customer service)
But when McCormick explained that the $3,000 was actually four separate charges of $750, it seemed more likely that Travocart did actually book all the cabins on the original cruise.
If that was the case, I hoped that Royal Caribbean could simply transfer all the deposits to the new cruise booked with the real Costco Travel.
I sent a request over to our executive contacts at Royal Caribbean and explained that the McCormicks and their friends had been tricked.
The good news: Royal Caribbean transfers the $3,000 to the new cruise
There was finally good news for McCormick. Royal Caribbean confirmed that all the charges on his credit card actually were coming from the cruise line. Because both families had booked a replacement cruise, RCCL allowed the entire amount to be transferred to the new trip.
Now, not only Josh, but McCormick is also whole, and Travocart is foiled again.
It’s such a burden lifted. I have to say, you were such a help. Honestly, if nothing came of it, the fact that you listened and took the time to walk me through this was such a blessing. Thank you for what you do for people. If there’s anything I can do for you or your cause, please let me know!
Shane McCormick
You’re very welcome, Shane. Beating scammers at their own game is one of our favorite things to do here at Consumer Rescue. Enjoy your Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska!
Related: How fake Carnival Cruise Line is scamming passengers
How to avoid becoming a victim of Travocart or other scam call centers like it
Unfortunately for consumers, unethical and outright fraudulent call centers are fully staffed right now and waiting for their next victim. Despite nearly daily media reports of the presence of these bad actors scattered like land mines across the internet, their numbers appear to be growing. My case files are filled with similar stories, and each day, more victims hit our “Get Rescued” hotline.
It’s clear these bad actors aren’t going away. That means travelers must be more vigilant than ever when scrolling through the internet looking for phone numbers for businesses.
Here are some ways you can dodge scam call centers like Travocart.
Visit the official company website
The best way to ensure you don’t accidentally dial a scammer’s number is by using the official website of the company. Keep in mind that in this age of artificial intelligence, it is very easy for fraudsters to create fake websites that closely mimic the official business.
What they can’t do is mirror the URL.
Scammers often buy domain names and phone numbers that closely resemble reputable businesses that they intend to impersonate. To be certain that you’re on the official website of a company, look closely at the URL at the top of your screen. It should be a secure site (https) and it should contain the name of the business.
Related: Two more cruise passengers say they’ve been scammed in Nassau
Triple check the phone number you’re dialing
After you’ve retrieved the number for the company, it’s crucial that you double and triple check it as you dial. As in McCormick’s case, scammers often buy similar phone numbers to real companies — sometimes only changing one digit. So always pay careful attention while dialing.
Listen to how the “agent” answers your call
Because the agents at the scam call centers usually don’t know who their victim is trying to reach, they must answer the phone in a noncommittal, vague way. Although, “Hello, reservations. How may I help you?” sounds friendly, it is the standard greeting of a fraudster.
Official companies require their phone agents to immediately identify the business. If the person who answers your call does not, you can be fairly certain you’ve misdialed. Hang up and try again. If you’re not fully convinced you’ve called the wrong number, directly ask what company you’ve reached. If they can’t quickly answer — and answer correctly — you should not need further evidence. You’re talking to a scammer.
Use the chargeback process carefully
If you find out too late that you’ve dialed into a fraudulent operation, a credit card dispute may help. Unfortunately, though, based on my case files, it often doesn’t. That’s because operations like Travocart are quasi-legitimate, in that they sometimes do make reservations. As a result, consumers often find their chargebacks being challenged, with the con artists providing “evidence” to the credit card companies, justifying the charge.
The Fair Credit Billing Act only allows consumers to file disputes under two specific conditions: billing errors and fraud. And although these scam call centers mislead their victims and trick them into handing over their credit card information, proving fraud is difficult for individual consumers. That’s especially true when the bad actors are willing to challenge a chargeback with proof of their own that a reservation was made.
Related: How a $425 Southwest Airlines ticket cost a scam victim $4,500
Even worse, if the fraudsters made some payments directly to a legitimate company — like Royal Caribbean in McCormick’s case — the chargeback could cause the cruise passenger to get blacklisted from the actual company.
Before filing a credit card dispute, it is critical that consumers understand who the merchant is that they are disputing or they could find themselves in deeper problems.
The bottom line
The best defense against the army of fake customer service centers lurking on the internet is a good offense. I’ve seen the terrible aftermath of what these bad actors can do to a consumer’s finances and emotional well-being. Avoiding them all together is easy if you know what they look like and sound like.
And now, I hope you do. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Chief Fiasco Fixer and founder of Consumer Rescue)
If you have a consumer problem that you can solve on your own, contact our team of fiasco fixers through the button below. Our help is always fast, friendly, and best of all, free.
