Fake conferences fool business travelers
- Kim Thompson: Better Business Bureau
- January 23, 2018
- 1547
If your New Year's resolution is finding a new job or getting a promotion, attending a conference is an excellent way to network and gain new skills. But be sure to double check before you book a conference or related travel. Con artists are cashing in on phony conferences.
You search online for a conference and find (what you assume is) its website. It might reference actual speakers, have an "organizing committee" of industry experts and name a real conference location. However, the people and places on the website have no idea that the conference exists. If you purchase tickets online, you or your employer will be out the registration fee.
In another version of this scam, con artists email real conference attendees claiming that they are the "official" travel provider for the conference. They try to fool attendees into booking nonexistent hotel rooms and other travel arrangements.
Conference cons are particularly common in academia, but they can affect any industry.
In one recent example, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation found convincing websites for the nonexistent "7th International Conference on Dementia & Care Practice."
Research before you buy. Do a web search for the event to confirm that news about the event matches the details on the website. Scammers purposely pick names similar to those of real events. Look for a phone number, email address or other contact information to ask questions about the conference. If you can't find this information, that's a big red flag.
Make online purchases with your credit card. If you make a purchase with your credit card, you can contest fraudulent charges later. Always be wary if you are asked to transfer funds using pre-paid debit cards, wire transfers or other unusual payment methods.
Review BBB online shopping tips. Many online purchase scams use similar tactics. See www.BBB.org/shoppingonline for more advice.
To protect yourself from all kinds of scams, visit the BBB Scam Tips page at www.BBB.org/scamtips.
Visit www.bbb.org/canton or call 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, report a scam with Scam Tracker, read tips, follow us on social media and more.