Travel scams are bilking an unwary American public out of billions of dollars. And they aren't predicted to abate in 2008. Evermore sophisticated schemes are hatched each year with the sole purpose of separating you from your money. Crime data indicate that embarrassed victims rarely report their losses, and of those who do, few ever get their money back.

The perpetrators of these frauds are known as scam artists, criminals who ask their targets for money and get it — without a gun. They excel in promoting travel opportunities that seem too good to be true. And that very fact should raise an alarm, but often doesn't.

Among the most common travel scams are those carried out by boiler-room operations that use phone banks and/or direct mail to reel in victims. In the typical scenario, a winner is notified by phone or mail that he or she qualifies for a free or low-cost vacation package. The offer may be for airfare, accommodations or both, but it almost always requires you to act instantly by making a credit card deposit.

Sometimes, that's the last the lucky winner ever hears of the promised trip. Other times, scam victims are told they must pay additional fees, such as expensive Y-class air fares, or that their preferred travel dates are not available. Often, repeated delays and stall tactics prevent the winner from ever taking the trip. Other times, the fabulous resort turns out to be a timeshare property where unsuspecting guests are subjected to high-pressure sales techniques.

Travel is often offered as a prize in promotional schemes because it's so easily cloaked in deception. Scam artists hook their targets over the telephone. They deal with greed, their victims' desire to get something for practically nothing and their willingness to trust anyone who appears to take an interest in them.

Scam artists use purchased lists of leads — names, addresses and phone numbers that may have originated quite innocently with the completion of a survey, a contest entry, a drawing or other similar conduits of personal information. Your name is valuable, worth up to $10 to a boiler-room operator.

Unfortunately, creative but legitimate travel schemes have become so intertwined with illegal telemarketing scams that it's sometimes difficult for the public to distinguish them. Gray areas in legal promotions that are cause for skepticism and concern include inflated rates for hotel phone calls; airline ads for controlled-capacity fares that are virtually unavailable to consumers; hotel voucher programs that end up costing travelers as much or more than published rates; and ads from accredited travel agencies touting "free" air to a vacation destination. However irritating, these are examples of legal conduct. Bilking is not.

Be alert to the most common ploys and misleading sales tactics that are indicators of a fraudulent travel scheme: