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Internet Fraud
Avoid purchasing WDW tickets at any other site other than the official Walt Disney World web page, where you can also get Resort and Dining information. Disney does not allow its authorized ticket dealers to use the word “Disney” in their URLs, so stay away from these sites. Disney doesn’t allow ticket brokers to sell discounted 1-day tickets. Avoid any sites that require you to pay with cash or Western Union. If its a fraudulent transaction, you will have no way to recover your funds.
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Outside Sources
There are plenty of shops in the surrounding areas of Walt Disney World, and quite a few souvenir stands in the entire state of Florida. Many of these outside vendors offer WDW tickets at amazingly low prices, but the problem is they’re not legitimate. They look authentic, but even if they tell you the tickets are valid, new, and unused, there’s no way to know that they’re telling the truth until you get to Disney.
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Cast Member Complimentary Tickets
These tickets can be easily faked, and fakes won’t work; also, they are not supposed to be sold. It may seem a cast member is trying to do you a favor, but do the research. These tickets will most likely be declined.
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Pizza Delivery Scam
If you find pizza delivery fliers pushed under your Resort Hotel door, be aware that many of these are fakes. The criminals get your credit card number and never deliver the pizza. Disney even supported a law banning this type of activity, but in some cases, the fliers still continue. There are some Disney Resorts that provide pizza delivery through the Resort. Just call your Hotel Concierge to verify this service.
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Food Delivery Scams
You can find attractive flyers with tempting food of all types offering incredibly low prices all over Orlando. The catch is that when you call to order, your credit card info is taken and used, but the food never appears. Alternatively, the food appears, but your credit card is charged at a much higher rate. Avoid this scam by ordering from your resort, a known chain or a restaurant recommended by the concierge or hotel staff.
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Dining Scalpers
Unfortunately, there are Disney Dining brokers out there who flood Disney’s systems with requests for Disney dining reservations, and then charge you for them. How do they do it? Well, they book Disney World dining reservations ahead of time under fake names and then will scalp them for money. Guests will be charged as much as $15 per reservation, and there is no guarantee that the reservation you just bought will be successful. This is not illegal, as it is a monitoring service which alerts the client on dining reservation cancellations, but does not guarantee success in obtaining the reservation. Just get the “My Disney Experience” app, and you can check daily on dining reservations, for free.
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Free Disney World Vacation
Whenever you see the word “free” in conjunction with a Walt Disney World Vacation, run, don’t walk to the nearest exit. There is no such thing as free at Walt Disney World, except cups of water at most quick serve restaurants. Even if you win a legitimate Disney World vacation in an authorized Disney contest, there will probably still be a few fees you will be responsible for. But a “no contest” FREE Disney World VacationI think not! Do not fall for any advertisement that is trying to give away a WDW vacation or offer extremely discounted or free tickets. Reserve your Disney Vacation Resort or Tickets through the official Walt Disney World web page. This is the only way you will be guaranteed to get what you are paying for, and the cast members are exceptionally nice, helpful, and will answer any question you have about your exciting Walt Disney World vacation.
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Social Media WDW Free Ticket Contests
Sometimes friends will share WDW contest posts that state you can win tickets by sharing, liking, or commenting on a post to win Disney World tickets. If you see these types of posts on Facebook, do not share. These fake profiles have names like “Walt Disney World.”, or “Walt Disney-World,” and may include extra punctuation or misspellings. Also, Disney will have a blue checkmark next to their name on Facebook indicating that they are the official Walt Disney World page, so be aware and look for the blue checkmark.
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Resale of Partially used Multi-day Tickets
This practice is illegal in Florida, so don’t even think about purchasing used tickets. Also, Disney will know because they use a scanning device that takes your fingerprint whenever you enter a Disney theme park, and it’s connected to your ticket. Your fingerprint is not going to match the fingerprint of the original ticket owner. My advice: don’t try it! This could get you in a lot of trouble, and it’s just not worth it. Go online at the official Disney web page, or find a Disney Travel Agent, and have the most wonderful Disney Vacation ever!
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Fake Tickets
Buy your Universal Studios, Sea World and Disney World tickets at the front gate, or directly from the company or your booking agent before you arrive. If you book a package, your tickets will be included. Never buy tickets secondhand or from a stranger—they’ll get your cash, but the tickets won’t be valid.
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Fake Hardships
You’re approached outside a gas station, grocery store or fast food joint by someone who claims to be stranded, hungry and broke. While there are legitimately homeless or troubled people in any city, some of the scammers in Orlando and Kissimmee work the same areas over and over, making an income from helpful and sympathetic tourists.
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Avoiding Orlando Scams
You can cut the chance of being scammed down considerably by staying at on on-site resort in Disney or Universal, and sticking close to the theme parks. Alternatively, rent a luxury home in an actual neighborhood, and head to more local-friendly destinations that are out of the tourist areas to avoid the worst areas for scammers.