tags: Scams
Ameri-scam.
May 23rd, 2005, by Rich.
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Two months ago I wrote a short article about a telemarketing call that I received from AmeriVacation. It has very quickly become one of the most viewed pages on this site, and also the most commented upon, by many people who are worried that they have been conned.
With just a little digging I’ve started to unearth some more information on AmeriVacation, and some “companies” that appear to be related.
It appears that AmeriVacation is only the latest front. They set up a website, to appear legitimate and then cold call people, anyone whose number they can get using an automated calling mechanism (which is very simple to do with a computer). They then sell a package that is not what it appears to be and then make it very difficult to obtain a refund.
Sadly the people that get scammed are often the most vulnerable people who can least afford to lose such a large amount of money.
Through my digging I discovered a little about the history of the scams, and a little about how they’re all related. What follows is a brief review of the links so that others may pick up the trail more easily.
The currently active websites (which can be linked through identical wording, identical phone numbers, IP addresses that resolve to the same physical machines, etc) are:
- www.amerivacation.com
- www.expertholidays.com
- www.yourvipholiday.com (bad press) (more)
- www.flbahamastravelhome.com
- www.mydiscountholiday.com (bad press)
- www.doublevacations.com
- www.affiliatedtravelnetwork.com
- www.brilliantholiday.com (bad popup press)
- www.destinationcenter.net
- www.myffc.com (bad press)
- www.mydiscountholiday.com
- www.floridaholidayusa.com - discovered July 2005
- www.holidayfloridausa.com - discovered July 2005
- www.sunrisetravels.us - discovered August 2005
- www.imperialvacation.com - discovered August 2005
- www.5starholidays.net - discovered August 2005
- www.floridatouristbureau.com - discovered August 2005
Now, anybody that sells a holiday from Florida, or sells a holiday to Florida must be registered. The last entry in the above list , “mydiscountholiday.com” claims a Florida Seller Of Travel License Number of ST35170. In fact, this next list of sites all claim to have that same license number.
- www.mydiscountholiday.com (bad press)
- www.usafamilygetaway.com (bad press)
- www.sandyvacationsllc.com (bad press)
- www.floridabureauoftourism.com
- http://www.destinationsforyou.com
- http://www.celebrationpromotions.com
Another useful thing for linking companies is the address, several of these companies have used “600 North Highway 1792, Suite 120, Longwood Fl 32750″ including:
- www.yourvipholiday.com
- www.usafamilygetaway.com addres link also mentioned here
That link is important because without it these appear to be two separate groups of companies, when in fact, it’s one big cloud.
The next link in the chain is the phone number, all the sites below are connected because they use the same UK freephone number 0800-917-7462. What’s especially nice is that three of them have also decided to share testimonials too!
- www.windsorvacations.com
- www.myvacationschoice.com
- www.vacations-paradise.com (bad press)
- www.sohovacations.com -bullshit testimonial (bad press)
- www.centuryvacations.com - bullshit testimonial
- www.firstclicktravel.net - bullshit testimonial
- www.usafamilygetaway.com
The other address in use is “7632 Southland Blvd, Orlando, FL 32809″ and this is used by:
- www.myffc.com
- www.mydiscountholiday.com
- www.brilliantholiday.com (bad press)
- www.destinationcenter.com
Currently www.destinationcenter.com looks like a bit of a sales force advertisement. However, by looking at the caches on google and web.archive.org, it’s apparent that it was also used as travel sales site (hence I got the address match above), selling these same packages - i.e. not just a coincidence, this was the same outfit.
So, who’s behind it? Well, according to this story, it all comes back to to a Altef Hemani (aka Alex Hemani), who has a history of such scams.
His name is as good as mud on the internet, so he’s tried to combat this by buying a few websites and and writing eulogies about himself.
Each of those sites, incidentally, is owned by the same company: Travel Express Investments 385 Center Point Cir, Altamont Springs, FL 32701.
What’s especially interesting is that the administrative contact for the domains is Arif Rajan who may be the same business man whos only newsworthy moment until now was that in 2002 he was was questioned and released without charge regarding money laundering for terrorist organisations.
Sources
Naturally the information I’ve been able to gather and present here is all freely available to the public. Please feel free to check, corroborate, dispute, disprove or otherwise extended it through your own investigation.
I have found the following resources most useful:
- http://whois.net/ which provides information about the owners of domain names.
- http://sunbiz.org/ which provides information from the Florida Department of State regarding companies, and the persons legally responsible for those companies.
- http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/ the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates travel in Florida.
March 28th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
I just got called today by aresortweek.com I found it too good to be true. When Anthony Burks, calling from Carrolton Texas, asked for the 3 security numbers on the back of my credit card, I stopped. First of all, who are they? How did they get my number? Why did they want my credit card? I’ve never heard of them. I know all the reward miles I’ve signed up for. Glad I googled the internet and found your site.
March 28th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
Further to my comment earlier, I checked out the google results for “aResortWeek.com” in Dutch. Indeed, people here in the Netherlands have been scammed. Many are still waiting for their refunds from aResortWeek.com I decided to write a blurb about it in my online publication - Bon Journal (see link above) - hopefully this would warn those non-Dutch speakers in the Netherlands. Thanks, Richard for writing about this.
March 29th, 2006 at 9:35 am
I was called yesterday by aresortweek.com.
they had to verify my CC number indeed.
American express blocked my card but they can still get 950 dollars :(
im going tyo the police today to file a report
March 30th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
I was advised by Amerisuites Vacation Club last April 2005 that i had won Florida Holiday including 7days 6nights in Orlando,Fl $500.00 discount entertainment guide for area restaurants and attractions. 3days 2nights in Ft.Lauderdale,Fl 3days 2nights in Daytona Beach,Fl and Bonus Cruise 3days 2nights in the Bahamas for which they took £700 from my bank account towards the holiday. I have been trying ever since, making numerous phone calls, to get this money back without success. Can you please advise me of any way i can proceed to attempt to recover my money.
I would be grateful for any help or advise you can give me regarding this as i have no idea how to proceed.
Thanking you in advance.
Yours Wendy Omar UK
March 31st, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Hi Rich,
Just tried that number 0800 066 4935 - customer care line number ‘ Your call is very important to us, please hold the line’.
Of course no one has picked up the call …
March 31st, 2006 at 8:43 pm
I am British and have just been called by A Resort Week “aresortweek.com”
The caller, Pris Brooks, was from Texas, USA, telephone number 0800 8119100 toll free and told me I had been randomly picked by my credit card company and had won a 75% discount off a holiday. They were able to track my address once Id confirmed my post code. They then asked me when my credit card expired and then the 7 digits on the back of my credit card. This made me suspicious. Their website looks decidedly more suspicious, with trade addresses in the Phillipines, and their destinations to Australia for instance not including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth etc but random places including some Id never heard of!
Be warned! There appears to be no mention of them on the internet yet but it sounds very like a scam if ever I saw one.
April 1st, 2006 at 11:58 am
Hey,
Recently I wrote a complaint on this site about the Florida Tourism Bureau [actually it was Starr Getaways - rich]. I finally got hold of them. They refunded my vacation last year. So there is no speaking of scam. thanks anyway. greetz
April 1st, 2006 at 1:21 pm
I notice the timing of Julie’s comment was 11.58am… just before April Noddy was past and gone. Hmmmmm
April 3rd, 2006 at 10:23 am
As i am reading these stories i cannot beleive it this is me.Celebrationpromotions has my money and told me that they would refund this amount i live in Australia and they took $598 american and i have been ringing them for 6months and still nothing.I feel for everybody that this has happened to.I am a very trusting person but not now i am so upset this money is alot and i have two children to think what i could of done with this money no holiday no refund.
April 3rd, 2006 at 11:59 pm
hello. just read your article. I am concerned now because my wife booked a holiday some time ago through celebration promotions, celebration world resorts, florida. she was quoted a reference
number, and contact phone no. of 08009177462, which i now find in your article as being related to a scam, and when we rang it, it was disconnected. are celebration world resorts legitimate, or fake?
can you please advises me?
yours, allan