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Tripped
Our columnist looks at a wire fraud case, a credit card scheme, and a questionable online page—just three examples of the types of reader problems that crop up in Tripped Up’s inbox.
By Seth Kugel
I took a taxi for 7. 95 euros in Paris and charged it to my Citi credit card, but the driver refused to provide a receipt and my card charged $795. 85. Citi did not refund this apparent fraud. Can you help? Ann, Philadelphia
We booked a $5,500 stay in an apartment in Amsterdam through Vrbo, and shortly after, the owner contacted us to ask us to transfer the full rental charge to him. We were reluctant, but we had already managed to move cash to Italy, so we decided to do it. The owner canceled at the last minute and the refund he had promised was never issued. Vrbo Jobs. Can you help? Kevin, Seattle
I wanted to enroll my two college-aged children in Global Entry, the program administered by U. S. Customs and Border Protection, so they could temporarily go through passport checkpoints with me. So I Googled “Global Entry Application” and clicked on the most sensible link, which at first glance looked like an official government site. I completed the paperwork and was charged $249 as requested. When I found out my mistake (the actual government payment is $100), I asked for a refund and in the end they refunded my entire $100 payment. Applications were accepted, but those other people were very superficial and I’m worried about identity theft. Doesn’t Google have a legal responsibility not to advertise a scam site? Christina, New York
You are all seasoned travelers, and yet you have been caught up in 3 schemes that, unfortunately, emerge in the Tripped Up inbox of readers’ problems.
The Olympics are underway in France, so let’s start with Ann. The taxi driver took her credit card, charged her an excessive amount and did not give her a receipt.
In recent months I have won many court cases from readers, in particular about Parisian taxis, but things like this happen almost everywhere. In fact, we covered a scam in Mexico in June. What’s doubly frustrating in conditions like these is that the scammers are Americans or small businesses that are difficult to trace, especially in a country where that language is not spoken. So Ann, like other victims, turned to the fraud branch of her credit card issuer.
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