A family looking forward to a cruise to Mexico were devastated to have it canceled just days in advance due to a mistake with a so-called 'company rep'.
Mom Brittany Paine was excited to be spending Mother's Day weekend with her family on board the Carnival cruise ship in May, after booking the trip one year earlier.
The ship was set to travel to Ensenada, Mexico, and a few days before setting off, Paine decided to try and make the experience even more enjoyable with a cabin upgrade.
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In an interview with NBC Los Angeles, the mom recalled phoning to ask about a potential upgrade, but was surprised when the alleged representative told her she had an unpaid fee.
“We noticed here that you have an outstanding balance on your upcoming cruise for $294, and you will not be able to board if that’s not taken care of,” they said, according to Paine.
Not wanting to miss out on the trip, Paine handed over the money for the unpaid fee and hung up.
But something didn't feel quite right, so she called Carnival back - this time on a different number she found.
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The second time, Paine was told by the company that the first interaction she'd had was a 'scam'.
"We wouldn’t have charged you a deck fee," the actual Carnival rep said." Go ahead and dispute that with your bank.”
Paine quickly disputed the charge and she was refunded - but sadly, the ordeal didn't end there.
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With just a matter of days to go before they set sail, Paine got an email on her phone.
“It says ‘Your cruise has been canceled.’ And my heart sank,” she recalled.
Paine called Carnival and learned someone had managed to log in to her account and cancel the cruise.
She had no idea who it was, but acknowledged that she may have shared her booking number with the person posing as a representative when she called to ask about the upgrade.
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When Paine tried to rebook, she learned the cabin had already been sold on and the ship was full.
Due to Carnival's late cancelation policy, she also lost out on the $900 she had paid for the cabin.
“To come up with $900 for a trip for my kids, it was only feasible by making payments and taking out a loan. So it was a lot of money for me,” she said.
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After sharing her story, NBC's investigative team did manage to reach out to Carnival and get Paine's money back.
In response to Paine's ordeal, Carnival commented: “Unfortunately scammers target travelers.”
With her initial trip canceled, Paine is now hoping to take her family away on a trip later this summer.
She's also hopeful that her story will prevent others from falling from similar tricks.
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“Nobody is safe from these scams. And they get better and better,” she said.
Colleen McDaniel, editor-in-chief of the website Cruise Critic, told NBC that scammers wreak havoc if they have access to a booking number, whether it's shared via call or posted online.
“Do not share too much information about that booking," she said. "That booking number is unique to you. The second anybody has access to it, they have access to your booking."
UNILAD has contacted Carnival for comment.
Emily Brown