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Hyde-Smith goes after online hotel fraud
Senator co-sponsors legislation to stop scams
Staff Report
You’ve probably seen the ads on websites promising a vacation with a deal to cheap to ignore. Those ads trawl for someone to take advantage of by fraudulently charging that consumer for a room they never end up getting to use.
Under legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Federal Trade Commission would have the authority to shut down groups not affiliated with legitimate online reservation business and hotels.
“Mississippi has cultivated a successful campaign to increase tourism, and these visitors shouldn’t have to worry about bogus hotel reservations or rewards scams. This legislation would protect consumers by giving federal authorities and state attorneys general the ability to shut down these fraudulent sites,” Hyde-Smith said.
The Stop Online Booking Scam Act also gives state attorneys general more power to go after these particular scam artists and their websites.