Laurie Baratti | (TNS) TravelPulse

Planning a vacation can be an exhilarating experience, but amid the excitement lies the lurking threat of scams that are just waiting to prey on unsuspecting travelers.

To help travelers navigate these treacherous waters, Byrd Bergeron, founder and CEO of The Travel Byrds agency, shared some conspicuous warning signs that consumers might be on the brink of a travel scam disaster.

Last-minute getaway deals

Buyer beware! If a seemingly too-good-to-be-true deal for a last-minute vacation suddenly pops up, Bergeron advises caution. “Traveling within two weeks or less? That’s a neon sign flashing ‘scam’ at you. Legitimate deals rarely pop up for last-minute trips, so be wary of those tempting offers,” she said.

Ultra-cheap airline tickets

Do your due diligence when it comes to incredibly cheap flights, warns Bergeron. “Beware of unbelievably cheap flights as they often come with strings attached.” She said that scammers frequently use fake websites and reviews to sell non-refundable tickets laden with all sorts of restrictions. Before you invest your hard-earned money, double-check that the airfare presented to you is legitimate.

Risky vacation rentals

With the recent surge in popularity of private vacation rentals, associated scams have become rampant. Bergeron advises travelers to be wary of hosts who list the same property at different price points — they could be looking to double-book and maximize their profits. Airbnb alone removed 59,000 fraudulent listings last year. By booking directly through a property owner’s website, you can largely avoid falling for this common scam.

Requests for document photos

“Your personal information is your treasure and you should guard it fiercely,” said Bergeron. If an unverified person online requests photos of your credit card, driver’s license or passport, stop the conversation there. Scammers will often collect and then use this type of personal information for identity theft or to conduct unauthorized transactions.

Requests for confidential information:

“Legitimate businesses won’t pester you for personal information upfront,” Bergeron asserted. If you find the person on the other end of communications is pressuring you to disclose sensitive details, consider it a red flag. Protect your privacy and steer clear of deals that demand too many personal details from you suspiciously early in the conversation.

Bogus fee-for-alls

According to Bergeron, scammers like to play games with bogus fees. “They charge hefty amounts for transaction execution or minor changes, leaving you frustrated and empty-handed,” she said. To avoid falling victim to this sort of runaround, she advises travelers to steer clear of providers that demand extra fees for straightforward services.

In the unfortunate event that you come into contact with travel scammers or even fall for one of their ploys, be sure to report it to your travel agency and the proper authorities. Bergeron advises that consumers cease communication with the scammers, but be sure to keep a record and document those interactions. Always prioritize safeguarding your personal information and documentation, and always trust your instincts. These will be your best defenses when it comes to dodging the wolves in sheep’s clothing who are lurking in the world of travel.

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©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

South St. Paul Public Schools alerted families this week to an ongoing technology disruption that is being investigated.

Staff and families were notified Monday of technical difficulties “that may disrupt certain services” like online platforms, emails and other digital services. On Tuesday the district said it had been made aware of “unauthorized activity within our computer network.”

Once the unusual activity was discovered, “We took our systems offline to isolate the issue,” the district said in a note to families Tuesday. “We then engaged a third-party cybersecurity firm to assist us with systems recovery and investigate the cause and scope of the unauthorized activity.”

As the investigation is ongoing, the district said it is focusing on restoring all its systems and helping students and staff maintain a productive learning environment.

“While we have proactively taken steps to create a secure online environment, we also acknowledge that cyber threats are unfortunately a part of the world we live in,” the district said in the note.

As of Wednesday afternoon, South St. Paul Public Schools officials had not returned a request for comment.

Recent cyber threats

The St. Paul school district notified more than 43,000 families last year about a “data security incident” that took place in February 2023. Student names and email addresses were the only information in the “unauthorized access,” according to St. Paul Public Schools.

The University of Minnesota acknowledged a data breach last year that resulted in compromised personal information about students, prospective students and employees across a 30-year period from 1989 to August 2021. Names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses and passport information were all potentially targeted in the breach.

Minneapolis Public Schools fell victim to a ransomware attack last year that led to confidential student documents being put online after refusal to pay a $1 million ransom, the Associated Press reported. The exposed data included sexual assault cases, medical records and discrimination complaints.

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Three more people have been charged in connection with the seizure of 280,000 fentanyl pills — described as the largest such seizure in state history — that were sent from Arizona to the Twin Cities metro area tucked inside stuffed animals.

The seizure, which amounts to 66 pounds of fentanyl pills with an estimated value of over $2.2 million, was the result of an investigation by the Washington County Drug Task Force, Dakota County Drug Task Force, Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

Nine people, all from either St. Paul or Minneapolis, have been charged in U.S. District Court in St. Paul with conspiracy to distribute the potent synthetic opioid between August 2022 and December 2023. Several of the defendants traveled to Phoenix to obtain fentanyl pills from suppliers, hid the pills inside stuffed animals and mailed them to addresses in and around the Twin Cities, the charges say.

Prosecutors announced this week charges against Da’Shawn Natori Domena, 24, and Phyu Win Jame, 27, both of Minneapolis, and Amaya Tiffany-Nicole Mims, 23, of St. Paul.

The others, charged in December, are Cornell Montez Chandler Jr., 24, Robiel Lee Williams, 23, Quijuan Hosea Bankhead, 30, and Fo’Tre Devine White, 30, all of St. Paul; and Stardasha Christina Davenport-Mounger, 24, and Shardai Rayshell Allen, 24, both of Minneapolis.

White was also charged with possession of a firearm as a felon and possession of a machine gun. The indictment alleges that White possessed two pistols, one of which was equipped with an auto sear, or “switch,” which converts semiautomatic firearms to fully automatic weapons. White is banned from possessing firearms because of a 2021 felony conviction out of Lake County, Ind., according to charges.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, just 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose.

Minnesota had 1,002 opioid-involved overdose deaths in 2022, according to the state Department of Health, and fentanyl contributed to 92 percent of them.

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By JONEL ALECCIA (AP Health Reporter)

Ground cinnamon sold by U.S. discount retailers is contaminated with high levels of lead and should be discarded, federal health officials said Wednesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said cinnamon sold by stores including the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar contains lead at levels that could be unsafe for people, particularly children, with prolonged exposure to the spice. The agency urged suppliers to recall the products voluntarily.

Cinnamon products included in the agency’s safety alert include the La Fiesta brand sold by La Superior and SuperMercados; Marcum brand sold by Save A Lot stores; MK brands sold by SF Supermarket; Swad brand sold by Patel Brothers; El Chilar brand sold by La Joya Morelense; and Supreme Tradition brand sold by Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.

“Removing the ground cinnamon products in this alert from the market will prevent them from contributing elevated amounts of lead to the diets of children,” the alert said.

Consumers should not buy the products and should throw away any containers they have at home, the agency said.

Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores have removed the cinnamon from their store shelves, a company spokesperson said. Customers can return products to nearby stores for a refund.

FDA officials launched what they called a “targeted survey” of cinnamon products sold in discount stores after an October 2023 recall of lead-tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches that sickened nearly 500 U.S. children.

The ground cinnamon products in Wednesday’s notice had lead levels of 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million, far lower than the puree pouches, which contained 2,270 parts per million to 5,110 parts per million of lead.

No illnesses or other health effects have been reported in connection with the new ground cinnamon alert, the FDA said.

There is no safe level of lead exposure for humans. Long-term exposure of lead can cause problems, especially in growing children, including learning disabilities, behavioral difficulties and lower IQ.

The FDA monitors foods for lead levels, but the U.S. government doesn’t broadly limit lead in food products. The agency sent a letter to all cinnamon manufacturers, processors, distributors and facility operators in the U.S. reminding them they’re required to prevent contamination from chemical hazards in food, including spices.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.