BRIDGEPORT, CT (WFSB) -
The I-Team exposed their bargains as a sham a year ago, and just two nights ago we brought you our latest update.
They have changed their company's name from Travel Deals to Travel Smart - probably because when you Google Travel Deals, our expose from last year is at the top of the results.
They closed up shop in North Haven pretty quickly after we found them two nights ago, but apparently thought they could keep running their scam by just moving down the road in Bridgeport.
When a Channel 3 viewer tipped us off Wednesday that they were setting up shop in Bridgeport, we immediately sent Eyewitness News reporter Matthew Campbell to ask why. It didn't take him long to find the group's ringleader, Adam Armstrong.
The company is running exactly the same scam the I-Team first exposed last year. They send a postcard promising a free cruise if you'll listen to their pitch. When potential targets arrive, they get peppered for hours with high-pressure tactics trying sell $9,000 memberships on the spot for a travel club. People who actually paid told the I-Team the club is no bargain, offering prices at or even above what can be found online for free.
And even if you don't buy, they ask you to send $500 to prepay the taxes for your supposedly free cruise.
Several people have told the I-Team they sent the money and got nothing.
Mike and Sabine Bonnar heard their routine on Wednesday night in Bridgeport and talked with the I-Team afterwards.
They luckily left without spending any money, but not before the same scam artist spent three hours trying to wear them down. One guy involved in the scam told our reporter he works for the hotel. He's the same guy that the I-Team confronted in North Haven last week.
When we showed the Bonnars his picture, they said he was the one who was giving the pitch.
The couple also confirmed what the I-team already knew, that Armstrong is the ringleader of the operation.
Last year, Armstrong led the way as the Travel Deals crew tried to physically force us out of their Windsor offices to avoid answering our questions.
"He was pretty obnoxious I thought, very condescending to people," the Bonnars said.
We've been trying to convince Armstrong to answer our questions for more than a year. We've called, we've emailed, we've even messaged him on his personal Facebook page. And of course, we keep showing up every time we hear he's running his scam.
Travel Smart claims it is running a valuable service.
The state Department of Consumer Protection said while its investigation is picking up speed in the company, it still can't definitively prove that these guys broke the law.
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