Miami, FL – Ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend, U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Lois Frankel (D-FL) renewed their call today for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Edith Ramirez to investigate fraudulent hotel booking sites which solely exist to defraud consumers with “too good to be true” prices for lodging. Earlier this year, Ros-Lehtinen and Frankel lead a letter to the FTC from the entire 27 member Florida delegation pointing out the lost economic activity often manifested through additional fees, a lesser category of service, or no legitimate hotel booking at all.

Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

“As the Labor Day holiday approaches, many South Florida families are focusing on the last days of summer and the last chance for a vacation. Our residents shouldn’t have to worry about their hard-earned money being taken by unscrupulous people. Consumers and hoteliers deserve to be protected from those who imitate legitimate hotel booking websites for the purposes of defrauding the public.”

Statement by Frankel:

“Thousands of consumers are misled every year into making reservations through fraudulent hotel websites and call centers, costing us hundreds of millions of dollars each year,” Frankel said. “These deceptive practices hurt both travelers and hotels throughout South Florida.”

To view the letter, please click here.