Is Myrtle Beach Safe for Tourists in 2026?

Booths and kiosks throughout Broadway at the Beach and along Kings Highway offer free show tickets, gift cards worth $50–150, or complimentary hotel nights in exchange for attending a "90-minute vacation ownership presentation." In practice these presentations routinely run 3–4 hours and involve rotating teams of high-pressure salespeople using false urgency, isolation tactics, and a final "gifting table" stop that applies conditions — blackout dates, processing fees, or mandatory future stays — that make the promised gift difficult or impossible to redeem. Visitors report feeling trapped and coerced into signing contracts they later cannot exit.

How to avoid: Never accept any gift contingent on attending a presentation. If you do attend, bring a printed copy of all promised gifts and their terms, note the start time, and state clearly at arrival that you will leave exactly at the 90-minute mark. Do not sign anything on-site.

Where: Kiosks at Broadway at the Beach near Celebrity Square, information booths along Kings Highway (US-17 Business) between 21st Avenue North and 38th Avenue North, and resort check-in desks at timeshare properties clustered around the Ocean Drive and Grandiose Strand corridors

Staffed booths positioned near the entrances of Broadway at the Beach and along the Kings Highway resort strip present themselves as visitor information centers or activity concierge desks. Staff offer free maps, attraction recommendations, and discounted show or water park tickets — and then pivot to soliciting attendance at a vacation ownership presentation as the condition for any deal. The booths are operated by timeshare companies including Capital Vacations and Wyndham-affiliated sales operations, and staff are trained to avoid explicitly naming the presentation as a timeshare pitch until visitors are already engaged.

How to avoid: Use the official Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center at 1200 N Oak Street for genuine travel information — it is staffed by volunteers with no sales agenda. Decline any "free ticket" offer at a Broadway at the Beach booth unless you have confirmed in writing it has no presentation requirement.

Where: Booth locations at the main entrance of Broadway at the Beach (1325 Celebrity Circle), near the Myrtle Beach Convention Center at 2101 N Oak Street, and along the stretch of Kings Highway (US-17 Business) between 21st and 48th Avenues North where resort properties cluster

Scammers scrape legitimate oceanfront condo and beach house photos from real listing sites, repost them on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and ad-hoc websites at below-market rates — often $150–200 per night for units that would legitimately cost $300–400 — then collect a full-week deposit via bank transfer or Zelle before going silent. Documented Myrtle Beach cases include a man who lost $1,138 on a fake Craigslist listing for a three-bedroom unit on Ocean Boulevard and never received keys or a refund. The scam peaks in the off-season when demand drops and price-sensitive families shop outside official booking platforms.

How to avoid: Book only through Airbnb, Vrbo, or a licensed Myrtle Beach property management company such as Elliott Beach Rentals or Dunes Realty. Never pay by bank transfer, Zelle, Venmo, or wire. Reverse image search any listing photos before sending money.

Where: Fake listings most commonly advertise units on Ocean Boulevard between 1st Avenue North and 29th Avenue North, in the Myrtle Beach Resort area off US-17 Business, and in the Shore Drive neighborhood near Arcadian Shores