Sweepstakes vacation / "free cruise" scam

A robocall, mailer, or pop-up announces you've won a vacation — Bahamas cruise, Disney trip, Las Vegas package. The vacation is "free" but you need to pay port fees, taxes, fuel charges, or a "resort certificate fee" upfront.

In legitimate-fringe variants, you do receive a "vacation" — usually a low-end cruise paired with a hard-sell timeshare presentation that consumes most of your time. In outright scam variants, you pay the fees and receive nothing.

Either way, the upfront fees often exceed the value of a comparable real vacation.

• You "won" a vacation you didn't enter.
• Upfront fees required to claim a free prize.
• The trip requires you to attend a "brief presentation" (often 90 minutes that becomes 4-6 hours of timeshare pitch).
• Payment via wire, gift card, or prepaid card.
• The cruise line, resort, or destination isn't a well-known brand.
• Travel dates are fixed and inflexible.
• The package is "non-refundable" the moment you book.

1. Real vacations don't require you to pay to claim a prize. Taxes and fees on legitimate sweepstakes are paid out of winnings, not in advance.
2. Check the company on the BBB and your state AG.
3. Search the company name + "scam" on Google.
4. Be wary of timeshare-linked giveaways. Even legitimate ones have a high time and pressure cost.
5. If you must engage, use a credit card so you can chargeback.

• Dispute the charge.
• Report to the FTC, IC3, and your state attorney general.
• Cancel any related membership within the cooling-off period (most US states require 3-10 days for timeshare contracts).
• Save all paperwork — you may need it for chargeback evidence.

• Do not pay upfront fees to claim a "free" vacation.
• Do not sit through a timeshare presentation under duress.
• Do not sign anything during a "brief presentation" you didn't expect.
• Do not give your real credit card to "reserve your free trip."

• FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov — the broadest US fraud intake; reports flow to thousands of law-enforcement agencies.
• FBI IC3: ic3.gov — the right destination when the scam is internet-enabled (phishing, BEC, romance, crypto).
• CFPB: consumerfinance.gov/complaint — for complaints about banks, money transmitters, payment apps, credit cards, debt collection.
• IdentityTheft.gov — if any identity information (SSN, driver's license, account credentials) was shared.
• Your bank or payment platform. Call the number on the back of your card or use the app's in-product help. Time matters — wires can sometimes be recalled within hours; ACH and Zelle are harder but worth trying.