A family vacation turned into a five-year nightmare. And it started with one payment.

L. Williams found a cruise consultant online who booked her family a week on Carnival Freedom. Great price. One catch. He only accepted Zelle. She sent $3,556. The family sailed the Western Caribbean. Gorgeous sunsets. Wonderful memories.

Five years later, she tried to book another cruise. Nope.

Carnival told her she was on the Do Not Sail list. Turns out her “consultant” pocketed the Zelle cash, then used a stolen credit card to book the trip. When the real cardholder disputed the charge, Williams got the blame.

DON’T LOCK YOUR FAMILY OUT: A DIGITAL LEGACY GUIDE

She now owes $3,556 for a trip she already paid for. Banned for life. The scammer’s phone? Disconnected. (Of course.)

The deals are real right now

Here’s what you need to know. The cheapest window for domestic spring break flights is about 43 days before departure. For late March trips, that’s this week. Wait until late February, and prices jump 20% to 25%. That’s your cash walking out the door.

Fly Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, and save up to 30% over weekend flights. Set Google Flights alerts now. Caribbean fares are down 17% from last year. 

Bundle flights with hotels through Costco, Expedia or Delta Vacations, and you can knock hundreds off the total.

Scammers circling like sharks

Williams’ story isn’t a one-off. Over 38 million people are expected to cruise in 2026, and scammers know it. Here are the big cons I’m seeing.

• The Google trap. Fake cruise line phone numbers are showing up in search results. One man called what he thought was Carnival’s customer service line and got hit with a $650 per person “docking fee.” That’s not a thing. Real cruise lines don’t charge surprise fees by phone. Always go directly to the official website for contact info.
• The free cruise postcard. Got one in the mail? Toss it. The fine print buries you in hundreds of dollars of hidden fees and a windowless cabin with bunk beds. How romantic. One investigation found the company behind these changes its name every year so you can’t look them up.

AI JOBS THAT PAY $200K OR MORE

• The Facebook agent. Scammers pose as travel agents in Facebook groups and collect payments through Zelle, Venmo or Cash App. Then they vanish. These apps have zero buyer protection. They’re for sending money to people you trust, not strangers selling Caribbean getaways.
• Your three rules: Always pay with a credit card. Never call a customer service number from a Google search, go to the official site. If you want a travel agent, verify them at ASTA.org.

Book smart and you’ll be sipping something tropical in a few weeks. Book carelessly and you might end up on the Do Not Sail list, which, ironically, is the worst kind of cruise control.

TRAVELING SOON? KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS NOW

If anyone you know is booking a spring break trip, send them this first. It takes two seconds to forward and could save them thousands. One payment to the wrong person cost a woman her vacation money, her cruise line privileges and years of debt headaches.

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Tenways just launched its new CGO Compact electric bike in Europe that’s designed to fit into tight spaces like car trunks, apartment hallways, and train compartments.

To achieve this, the CGO Compact is fitted with small 20-inch wheels, folding pedals, and a handlebar fitted with a twistable stem to create a slim, wall-hugging profile. The adjustable steering column and low-step through frame also make it suitable for a wide range of rider heights, so it could be a good shareable e-bike for families. And its MIK HD rear carrier system is good for hauling up to 27kg (almost 60 pounds) around town, with mounting points for additional accessories like a crate or child seat.

Tenways might not be a household name globally, but the Chinese e-bike company headquartered in the Netherlands is making a name for itself in Europe thanks to aggressive pricing, sleek designs, and over 1,500 shops and service centers. And while the CGO Compact’s €1,999 (about $2,365) price tag isn’t cheap, it’s well below the €2,681 average for European e-bikes.

The company does sell e-bikes in the US, but the CGO Compact is only for sale in Europe as of today. It features a 250W rear-hub motor connected to a Gates Carbon belt drive for maintenance-free propulsion. It promises a range of up to 100km from its 500Wh removable battery, but its single-speed drivetrain produces only 45Nm of torque so it’s best suited for relatively flat cities. If your commute does stray from asphalt then the suspension seat post should help absorb bumps. There’s also an integrated torque sensor to ensure the smooth delivery of pedal-assisted power, and Tektro hydraulic disc brakes should keep any sudden stops under control.

The CGO Compact lives up to its name regarding size, but it’s not all that lightweight. Stripped down it weighs 19.8kg (almost 44 pounds), or 22.1kg (almost 49 pounds) with all the accessories you’ll want in wet urban environments. That makes it heavier than many full-sized e-bikes, even from Tenways, and less versatile than the excellent 20-inch Brompton G foldable which also weighs less but costs more than twice as much.

Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

– Inside Trump administration’s AI tech force designed to modernize government
– Elon Musk slams Anthropic AI models as ‘misanthropic’ and ‘evil’ in scathing social media post
– AI power players pour cash into competitive primaries as 2026 midterms heat up

‘TECH FORCE’: Inside Trump administration’s AI initiative designed to modernize government – FOX Business reports on the Trump administration’s latest initiative to overhaul federal efficiency, detailing an internal AI “tech force” tasked with modernizing antiquated government systems and streamlining operations.

TECH ALLIANCE: War Department to partner with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT, GenAI for military use – The Department of Defense is reportedly strengthening its technological arsenal through a strategic partnership with OpenAI, aiming to integrate ChatGPT and generative AI capabilities into military operations to maintain a strategic edge.

SCATHING POST: Elon Musk slams Anthropic AI models as ‘misanthropic’ and ‘evil’ – Tech billionaire Elon Musk took to social media to unleash a scathing attack on rival AI firm Anthropic, characterizing their models as “misanthropic” and “evil” in a post that highlights the intensifying ideological rift within Silicon Valley.

POWER PLAYERS: AI execs pour cash into competitive primaries as 2026 midterms heat up – With the 2026 midterm elections on the horizon, deep-pocketed investors and executives from the artificial intelligence sector are pouring cash into competitive primaries, hoping to shape the regulatory landscape for the booming technology.

OPINION: AI raises the stakes for national security — here is how to get it right – In this opinion piece, OpenAI’s Chris Lehane argues that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has dramatically raised the stakes for American national security, outlining a strategic framework to ensure the U.S. maintains its dominance without compromising safety.

OPINION: The 2028 election will be a referendum on our future in an AI-dominated world – As technology accelerates, this op-ed contends that the 2028 presidential election will serve as a critical referendum on humanity’s future, forcing voters to decide how the nation should navigate an increasingly AI-dominated world.

BATTLE FOR DOMINANCE: AI wars begin in new Super Bowl commercials – The battle for artificial intelligence dominance has moved to the advertising stage, as tech giants unleash a wave of new Super Bowl commercials designed to capture the public imagination and assert their position in the “AI wars.”

BOT TO THE FUTURE: Humanoid robots are getting smaller, safer and closer to home – Recent advancements in robotics are making humanoid machines smaller, safer, and more viable for domestic use, suggesting that a future where robots assist with daily household tasks is getting closer to reality.

MOYA’S DEBUT: ‘Warm-skinned’ AI robot with camera eyes is seriously creepy – A new development in robotics featuring “warm skin” and camera eyes has sparked a mix of fascination and unease, with many observers describing the lifelike yet artificial creation as “seriously creepy.”

DIGITAL DANGER: AI companions are reshaping teen emotional bonds – A growing trend of teenagers forming deep emotional connections with AI companions is raising questions among parents and psychologists about the long-term impact of synthetic relationships on social development and mental health.

Subscribe now to get the Fox News Artificial Intelligence Newsletter in your inbox.

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