Travelers are huge targets for online insurance scams. While the majority of online travel insurance is legitimate, there are some companies that offer questionable and outright illegal travel insurance policies. Many of these companies operate entirely on the hope that purchasers won’t read the fine print in their policies or will discover that their travel insurance plan has absolutely no value at all, after it’s too late. Before you purchase any travel insurance policy you should know exactly what you are getting.
For every honest and hardworking tourist or business traveler, there are at least a dozen scammers out there who are willing to manipulate and cheat you out of their money, one way or another. Many of these criminals choose travel insurance as their preferred method of deception because they know that many travelers are uninformed. Others rely on the fact that it is often hard for law enforcement agencies to prosecute criminals abroad, leaving those that have been previously scammed to just accept the fact that they’ve been taken advantage of and move on. This only further encourages the scam artists to do it again and again.
The internet provides the perfect playground for criminal masterminds to cheat individuals, just like you and me. The combination of anonymity and providing sensitive information can spell trouble. If you don’t pay careful attention and avoid common traps, you can find yourself in a world of trouble and out of a lot of cash in the process.
There’s no doubt that purchasing online travel insurance is a smart way to get the protection you need and to save money when preparing for a trip, but in order to do it safely you should:
Only shop from websites that offer security and privacy protection – Insurers that truly value their customer’s security will have a secure site that uses encryption technology to protect users while they are entering personal information. They will also have a clearly stated privacy policy available to view on site. Look for the padlock icon and the https:// prefix in your computer’s browser to verify that the site does use encryption software.
Compare prices and policies from multiple insurers – If it seems too good to be true, then chances are it, it probably is. Compare not only prices but policies from at least three online travel insurance companies and remember to look for the coverage that is best suited to your travel needs.
Ask for a copy of any policy you are interested in before purchasing it – The best way to know what coverage you are getting under your travel insurance plan is to read it. If you wait to read the details until after you have purchased it or at the time you need it, you may discover that you don’t have the cover you thought you did.
Don’t be afraid to shop online for travel insurance, just be smart about it.