Contact 6 advises travelers to beware of cheap travel packages

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- It is that time of the year when sun and sand sounds pretty alluring -- but FOX6's Contact 6 says don't be taken in by cheap travel packages!

Imagine finding a travel package to Florida for $300 or the Bahamas for $500.

"These packages were deeply discounted. Normally, trips like these would cost around $1,000 or so," U.S. Postal Inspector Brian Haraway said.

What sounded too good to be true ended up being too good to be true!

"There were many instances where victims found out just one or two days before that there were no travel packages and they were deeply disappointed," Haraway said.

In fact, in this case, more than 24,000 bogus travel packages were sold nationwide for a total loss of more than $12 million.

"There was another instance where families had planned a family reunion and they found out there was no packages and it affected the entire family," Haraway said.

Postal inspectors began tracking numerous complaints.

"The business was under surveillance. A search was conducted at the business location and we were able to follow the scam and found out who was victimized," Haraway said.

The company was shut down, and the main suspect in the case was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of over $167,000.