Two South Florida congresswomen reached out across the aisle and teamed up on Wednesday to crack down on hotel booking fraud.
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Penn., unveiled the “Stop Online Booking Scams Act." Citing figures from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA),which is backing the proposal, the representatives noted almost 15 million Americans were bilked out of $1.3 billion due to conmen with scam hotel booking websites.
The new legislation would require full disclosure for third-party hotel reservation websites with violators facing at fines of up to $11,000 and having their websites shut down. The bill also gives state attorneys general more power to pursue action against fraudulent websites and streamlines the reporting process to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
“I’m proud to work with my colleagues, Lois and Bill, on stopping fraudulent hotel booking websites,” Ros-Lehtinen said on Wednesday. “So many Americans conscientiously save for their vacations and are deeply disappointed when they discover they have been victims of a crime. Congress should do all it can to crack down on these perpetrators of fraud who take advantage of both families and the businesses the websites impersonate.”
“Booking a hotel room for a dream vacation should not lead to a nightmare,” Frankel said. “This bill will reduce fraud and give law enforcement more tools to protect travelers.”
“There’s an alarming problem with rogue websites defrauding families that are simply looking to find a nice place to stay while they enjoy their vacations,” Shuster said. “I was happy to support this measure as it will make it harder for these scams to occur and make it easier for travelers to know that the websites they are using to book their stays are legitimate.”
With Florida experiencing record high tourism numbers in recent years, the bill could have an impact on the Sunshine State. Almost 1.2 million residents of the Sunshine State were employed through tourism last year, an increase of 5 percent from 2014.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
