A web site that promises great deals--including motorhome rentals--for Yukon visitors is being investigated by Canadian RCMP officials as a possible fraud operation. Operators of yukonvacation.com are said to be advertising all sorts of come-ons for travel packages without the consent of the legitimate companies who--without their consent--are listed on the website.According to a story on cbcnews.ca, the outfit has outraged dozens of legitimate tourism outfits who say they've never heard of the internet company, nor made any agreements to work with them. What's worrisome about the site is that a "reservation form" fill-out on the site asks for personal information, including credit card numbers. However, elsewhere on the site a disclaimer indicates the form is "not a reservation confirmation or a reservation document."
The site's web page advertising motorhome rentals has the 'look and feel' of a legitimate RV rental firm's site. The company here is "Whitehorse Motorhome/Camper Rental" complete with quoted rates and photos. However, a search of operators in the area doesn't raise any firm by that name.
While the RCMP has managed to track down a post office box address in Washington state associated with the firm, but no direct contact has yet been made.
There are MANY of these websites going up all the time. As a US based RV rental company, I recommend anyone interested in online reservations companies first confirms that the company actually exists before divulging any personal information, especially credit card numbers. You can do this by both calling them on the phone and verifying their physical address, and then confirming with the rental depot that the depot is actually working with them for reservations.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad state, but we have to remember that there are lots of great honest rental companies out there.