Need some advice please...

[Sunnygal75]

So my niece and her daughter (3) are coming down to visit us in FL. We have rented a villa for 2 weeks in May. She is going to take the little one to Disney for the first time but something awful happened. It seems she is a victim of identity theft. She found this out when she filed her taxes and government contacted her saying that someone took a bogus loan out in her name for over $15,000! They know she didn't do this but until the investigation closes...she can't get her taxes back
She was going to use the money for Disney tickets etc. but now she is limited.
I just can't believe some people. Identity theft is real people so please be careful.

So I am hoping some of you can help...
Who has the best offers for tickets for May? What else can you recommend for them to do that won't cost alot. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[LSUfan4444]

How's her credit? What about getting an credit card with a 0% intro APR and put them on that then pay them off a little at a time?

https://www.creditcards.com/zero-interest/

Even if using a credible discounted site the savings aren't tremendous. If anyone truly finds cheap tickets, they're fake.

 

[holden]

Maybe she could put Disney on hold for this trip. She could do a character meal at one of the resorts and not spend and much.

Edited to add: When my DD was around 3 I used to take her to Chuck E Cheese and not spend a dime. She’d “play” with the games, ride those “horse rides,” etc. She loved it. After an hour we would leave and go home.

Your daughter’s DD probably has no idea what WDW is. A character meal might be enough to thrill her.

 

[Sunnygal75]

How's her credit? What about getting an credit card with a 0% intro APR and put them on that then pay them off a little at a time?

https://www.creditcards.com/zero-interest/

Even if using a credible discounted site the savings aren't tremendous. If anyone truly finds cheap tickets, they're fake.

I don't think that's an option right now due to someone screwing with her credit.
When I mean cheap...I mean the best offers/websites.

 

[Sunnygal75]

Maybe she could put Disney on hold for this trip. She could do a character meal at one of the resorts and not spend and much.

Edited to add: When my DD was around 3 I used to take her to Chuck E Cheese and not spend a dime. She’d “play” with the games, ride those “horse rides,” etc. She loved it. After an hour we would leave and go home.

Your daughter’s DD probably has no idea what WDW is. A character meal might be enough to thrill her.

Flights have already been bought and she knows about Disney. She keeps asking when are they going to Disney...every day heh.
My niece is very active in doing things with her but Florida was and is supposed to be special...not something one can do at home
We live in Europe and this is our last vacation to Florida before we relocate back in less than 2 yrs...so we saved up and forked out on a extra nice villa instead of doing alot of the parks.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

So my niece and her daughter (3) are coming down to visit us in FL. We have rented a villa for 2 weeks in May. She is going to take the little one to Disney for the first time but something awful happened. It seems she is a victim of identity theft. She found this out when she filed her taxes and government contacted her saying that someone took a bogus loan out in her name for over $15,000! They know she didn't do this but until the investigation closes...she can't get her taxes back
She was going to use the money for Disney tickets etc. but now she is limited.
I just can't believe some people. Identity theft is real people so please be careful.

So I am hoping some of you can help...
Who has the best offers for tickets for May? What else can you recommend for them to do that won't cost alot. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Aren't you a FL resident? You can buy tickets for the little one so long as you're going to be there because you're ID will have to be presented to prove residency. Undercover Tourist has good deals on tickets, but I'm thinking you only see a savings when you buy more than 3 or 4 days. I'm sure someone else here can help with that.

 

[davper]

I see a red flag here. Why would the IRS care about a loan, bogus or not?
Was she called by the IRS? Because the IRS does not call. Everything is communicated by mail.
Did she give identifying info to whom she talked to?

I would be concerned that this was a fishing attack and she have holds placed at the credit reporting agencies.

 

[lanejudy]

As for free or low-cost things to do with a 3-yr-old that are not within one of the theme parks:

Cinderella and Prince Charming do some kind of a promenade at the Grand Floridian
Chip & Dale's campfire and sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness
After the campfire is usually a movie under the stars, or many other resorts also show outdoor movies at night
Visit the stables at Fort Wilderness and I believe there are pony rides
Several hotels have playgrounds
Pool time at your resort; they usually have games and activities planned as well
Rent a surrey bike
Mini-golf (not free but less than a park ticket)
Watch the fireworks from the Poly beach or somewhere outside MK
Catch the Electrical Water Pageant from a resort
Visit Disney Springs to walk around, go to the Lego store, and is the little train ride still there?
Visit Animal Kingdom Lodge to see the animals on the savanna
Ride a boat around the MK area resorts or between DHS/Epcot
Ride the monorail
A character meal at a resort
Play on the beach at a resort

Whatever they do, she can take snacks for the child to avoid paying outrageous prices. They can also buy a few groceries and pack a lunch and/or dinner, even into the parks.

And I'm sure others can add to this list. Also check out the Disney for Families forum, which might have some good ideas. Periodically someone will post asking about free or low-cost things to do, so there are other threads, I'll try to dig one up.

 

[Tempty]

I see a red flag here. Why would the IRS care about a loan, bogus or not?
Was she called by the IRS? Because the IRS does not call. Everything is communicated by mail.
Did she give identifying info to whom she talked to?

I would be concerned that this was a fishing attack and she have holds placed at the credit reporting agencies.

I second this
The IRS will NEVER cold-call you
Also, she needs to check on creditkarma to see if her credit has ACTUALLY been affected. It's free and incredibly convenient

 

[Sunnygal75]

Aren't you a FL resident? You can buy tickets for the little one so long as you're going to be there because you're ID will have to be presented to prove residency. Undercover Tourist has good deals on tickets, but I'm thinking you only see a savings when you buy more than 3 or 4 days. I'm sure someone else here can help with that.

Nope, we are not. I said in my last reply...we live in Europe. She is flying down from PA.
I am not the best person for info. when it comes to Disney so that's why I came here.

 

[Sunnygal75]

I second this
The IRS will NEVER cold-call you
Also, she needs to check on creditkarma to see if her credit has ACTUALLY been affected. It's free and incredibly convenient

She received a letter to call and that's when they told her all this. I did tell her she should check her credit though. She isn't the type to run up bills and such and they can clearly see that from her credit history.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Nope, we are not. I said in my last reply...we live in Europe. She is flying down from PA.
I am not the best person for info. when it comes to Disney so that's why I came here.

I apologize. When I read your original post and it said coming down to visit in FL, I just assumed you were a resident.

 

[Sunnygal75]

As for free or low-cost things to do with a 3-yr-old that are not within one of the theme parks:

Cinderella and Prince Charming do some kind of a promenade at the Grand Floridian
Chip & Dale's campfire and sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness
After the campfire is usually a movie under the stars, or many other resorts also show outdoor movies at night
Visit the stables at Fort Wilderness and I believe there are pony rides
Several hotels have playgrounds
Pool time at your resort; they usually have games and activities planned as well
Rent a surrey bike
Mini-golf (not free but less than a park ticket)
Watch the fireworks from the Poly beach or somewhere outside MK
Catch the Electrical Water Pageant from a resort
Visit Disney Springs to walk around, go to the Lego store, and is the little train ride still there?
Visit Animal Kingdom Lodge to see the animals on the savanna
Ride a boat around the MK area resorts or between DHS/Epcot
Ride the monorail
A character meal at a resort
Play on the beach at a resort

Whatever they do, she can take snacks for the child to avoid paying outrageous prices. They can also buy a few groceries and pack a lunch and/or dinner, even into the parks.

And I'm sure others can add to this list. Also check out the Disney for Families forum, which might have some good ideas. Periodically someone will post asking about free or low-cost things to do, so there are other threads, I'll try to dig one up.

Thanks so much for all that info. Really do appreciate it. I recently had surgery and still recovering and can't spend too much time sitting up at the PC and hunt fornrgings like I normally would.

Again, thanks to you and everyone that has replied.

 

[TwinkleKS]

What about a four park magic ticket package for just the two of them? https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/4-parks-magic-tickets/

I know it is still an expense, but it is something to think about trying to do.

 

[Tink_83]

She received a letter to call and that's when they told her all this. I did tell her she should check her credit though. She isn't the type to run up bills and such and they can clearly see that from her credit history.

Did she provide SS info to them or other PII already. The IRS has 0 to do with loans, they don’t care at all if you have a loan.

My mom did find out about identity theft from filing taxes but in that case it was because someone else had already gotten her refund (that was a fun communication from the IRS - my dad calls them and they ask him if he’s separated from his wife because she has already filed clearly they were not separated and it was identity theft but the point is they only cared that taxes had already been filed and a refund claimed. That’s it.

 

[ElyseInWonderland]

Agree with all the above- this is very shady. I've worked in Public Accounting for 5 years and never had an instance where the IRS contacted a client about a loan. The IRS doesn't give two hoots about your identity as long as they're collecting your taxes accurately. Something doesn't add up here.

Also, DON'T fall into the trap of buying discounted tickets or magic bands from unauthorized retailers; you will be turned away at the gate & your tickets not refunded. Disney is an expensive vacation, and it seems like the undue financial stress right now maybe doesn't justify the experience in the grand scheme of things.

Kids will be disappointed, but that's unfortunately a part of life. Take a trip when things straighten out; it will be a much happier experience for everyone!
Just my 2 cents~