The Avanti Group Inc

Before I left for New Orleans I was telling friends and neighbors of my plans. "Are you going to Eat at Mother's?" "I bet you can't wait to taste some Jambalaya." "There's a place on Bourbon where you can get a Hurricane and next door some Sweet Potato Fries just covered in powdered sugar, please have it for me." No, No, a thousand times no. New Orleans is guilty of feeding some garbage food to tourists and the tourists are guilty of loving it and going all over the internet screaming the authenticity of the overpriced Jambalaya they had on Bourbon Street. I once wrote about the bad food done in New Orleans name outside of New Orleans. The bad food has also infiltrated the Quarter. Here are a few common sense tips to eating in New Orleans. If the sign says 'voted the best" or "authentic" run away. Most of the places guilty of food fraud are in the quarter, there is even a place in the French Market offering 'authentic Cajun Tacos.' There are exceptions like Galatoires, Johnny's and Central Grocery however you should do most of your dining outside of the quarter.

1. "A lot of people making fraudulent claims on their travel insurance are first time fraudsters, and don't realise how serious it is to make a false claim," says Simon Cook, Head of Special Investigations at claims management and assistance company, CEGA. 2. "Making a false travel insurance claim can result in a criminal record, which would make it very difficult, for instance, to take out any sort of insurance policy in the future - and that includes car and household insurance," says Simon Cook. "In a worst case scenario, it could lead to a prison sentence." 3. Top of the list of fraudulent travel insurance claims? "It's common for someone who has suffered a genuine loss to add a few noughts to the value of that loss - a Sekonda watch might become a Rolex for instance," says Malcolm Tarling of the Association of British Insurers. "Exaggerated losses, false claims for lost baggage and fictitious medical treatment are among the most common fraudulent claims," adds Simon Cook. 4. "If a false travel insurance claim is submitted but withdrawn after having second thoughts, it can still lead to a prosecution for fraud," says Simon Cook. 5. "Insurers will check every detail of a dubious claim; from the authenticity of a doctor's bill handed out on the other side of the world, to the validity of a witness statement in a foreign language," says Simon Cook. "Cognitive interviewing techniques, investigation by overseas agents and medical assessments may all be used to assess the honesty of a suspicious claim." 6. "Fraudulent travel insurance claims put up the cost of everyone's insurance premiums," says Simon Cook. "In other words, innocent travellers foot the bill for fraudulent claims." Read full article

When a former client's secretary was arrested for embezzlement years before his own crimes were uncovered, Bernie Madoff commented to his own secretary, "Well, you know what happens is, it starts out with you taking a little bit, maybe a few hundred, a few thousand. You get comfortable with that, and before you know it, it snowballs into something big." We now know that Madoff's Ponzi scheme started when he engaged in misreporting to cover relatively small financial losses. Over a 15-year period, the scam grew steadily, eventually ballooning to $65 billion, even as regulators and investors failed to notice the warning signs. Many of the biggest business scandals of recent years - including the News of the World phone hacking scandal, billions in rogue trading losses at UBS, and the collapse of Enron - have followed a similar pattern: The ethical behavior of those involved eroded over time. Few of us will ever descend as deeply into crime as Bernard Madoff, yet we all are vulnerable to the same slippery slope. We are likely to begin with small indiscretions such as taking home office supplies, exaggerating mileage statements, or miscategorizing a personal meal in a restaurant as business-related. Nearly three-quarter of the employees who responded to one survey reported that they had observed unethical or illegal behavior by coworkers in the past year.

Always the perfect gift! Send someone special a travel gift certificate. Our certificates look beautiful and can be personalized with a note from you. Perfect for any occasion, here are a few of our ideas: - Birthdays - Weddings & Showers - Anniversaries - Graduations - Employee Appreciation - Thank You Gifts - Valentine's - Holidays - Teacher, Coach Appreciation Gift giving couldn't be easier. Our certificates can be purchased in amounts of $30 or more and are valid for one year from date of issue. Any unspent monies will be refunded less a service fee of 15%. For more information or to purchase your gift certificate, please email info@avantitraveladvisors.com.

The Watchdog is still in vacation mode. I just got back from a family trip to Florida. We had a blast. This is the time of year when your mind may be on vacations, too. If you're looking ahead to a lazy summer trip, don't relax too much because unfortunately, scammers will hound you while you plan and even follow you on the road, too. The state attorney general's office recently warned about travel scams, a few of which were news to me. One involves pizza deliveries, of all things. Who hasn't had a craving for pizza after checking into a hotel in an unfamiliar city where you don't want to hunt for a decent place to chow down. You pick up the menu that's conveniently been slipped under your door and order away. The scam is that the menus have a phone number that connect with an identity thief, not a pizza parlor. You won't get your large pie, and the thief will live large by running up charges on the credit card you provided for payment. The attorney general's office recommends contacting the hotel's front desk or concierge for take-out suggestions. You also can look on your smartphone or in the phone book. Speaking of phones, if your hotel room phone rings in the middle of the night and the caller identifies himself as the front desk needing to verify your credit card, hang up.