I finally fell for that old "free cruise" website from 2008

Stumbled on this site called CruiseBonanza.net last month, looked like it was from the dial-up era but promised a free 3-day Bahamas trip if I just paid the port fees. Put in $85 with my credit card and got a confirmation number that led nowhere. Tried emailing the contact address three times and it bounced back every time. Has anyone else gotten burned by one of these ancient scam sites that somehow still take payments?

2 comments

2 Comments

theagarcia15d ago

Paid $120 to a glowing "virus alert" popup in 2010 and my computer still freezes just thinking about it.

barbaragarcia15d ago

Oh man, I got hit by something similar back in 2015 with a site called FreeVacationNow.com or something like that. I ended up calling my credit card company and explained it was a scam, and they actually reversed the charge after a little back and forth. You should try that route first, just be ready to show them the confirmation email and the bounced emails if you still have them. Also, I started using a virtual card number for anything sketchy after that, lets you set a limit so they can't drain more than what you agreed to. Might save you hassle down the road if you stumble on another relic from the internet stone age.