Travel is a great way to take a break from the demands of work and everyday life and recharge for a bit while exploring a new place. Unfortunately, people who decide to go on that much-deserved vacation often find themselves the targets of a sophisticated scam.
“The business of fraud has been ‘democratized,’ and travel scams have become one of the most common ways that scammers defraud consumers and businesses,” Brittany Allen, a trust and safety architect at Sift, told HuffPost. “Easy-to-access and use technologies, along with the information available on the dark web, have lowered the barrier to entry for fraud, and these cybercriminals are taking advantage.”
She noted that Sift’s Fraud Industry Benchmarking Resource found that payment fraud in the online travel and lodging industry doubled from the third quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2024.
“Travel scams have always been around, but with the ‘revenge travel’ after COVID, we certainly saw an increase in the ways criminals were using people’s desires to travel to steal from them,” said Amy Nofziger, the director of victim support at the AARP Fraud Watch Network. “Plus we are all on our phones 24/7 so scammers trying to steal from us have access to us more than ever. We have seen travel scams come in via text message, email and on social media.”
That’s why it’s important to be extra vigilant as you book travel arrangements and go about your trip. To help vacationers avoid scams, we asked experts to share the red flags they should watch out for.
The situation or offer seems too good to be true.
“The biggest tip-off about online or email scams is that if it’s too good to be true, it’s likely a scam,” explained Ned S. Levi, a columnist and travel scam expert with Travelers United. “That’s a well-known, long touted scam tip-off, but it still is true.”
In this age of skyrocketing travel costs, scammers try to entice unsuspecting vacationers with low offers well below market price. But remember that these “exclusive” deals are often too unrealistic to be credible.
The same goes for in-person fraud. Don’t let the lure of a low-cost car ride from the airport lead you into a bad situation with a scam driver.
“Never get in an unlicensed taxi or private vehicle other than one ordered via reputable ride sharing apps ― no matter how amazing the deal is!” warned Julian Moro, senior vice president and regional security director at International SOS.
Even when a transaction isn’t explicitly involved, bring a healthy dose of skepticism to your interactions as a tourist.
“A very, very attractive person comes up to you out of the blue at the bar? Maybe it’s your lucky day, or maybe they work with the bar and will run up your bill,” said travel writer Matthew Kepnes, aka Nomadic Matt. “Someone incredibly friendly has a relative from the exact same city you’re from and wants to buy you lunch? It’s possible. Or maybe they will duck out and leave you with the bill. That doesn’t mean you should avoid friendly people and constantly keep your guard up, but rather that you should always use common sense.”
The payment method seems suspect.
“Listen for the way they’re asking to be paid,” Nofziger advised. “If they are requesting a pre-paid gift card, payment by cryptocurrency or via a peer to peer app, then it’s most likely a scam.”
Wire transfers or checks shouldn’t be necessary for basic travel bookings either. Stick to secure payment methods through official channels. It might be normal to encounter a street food vendor who doesn’t accept credit cards during your trip, but you should be wary of a hotel or flight booking service that doesn’t allow credit card payments.
“Book everything with a credit card,” said Ally Armeson, executive director of programs at the Cybercrime Support Network. “Credit cards offer more fraud protection than a debit card. Even if your credit card details end up in the wrong hands, you can contact the credit card company’s fraud department to resolve the issue.”
Be sure to regularly review your bank statements throughout your travels (and in general) so that you can catch any irregular activity if your card information was somehow compromised in a scam. Take care with your money when going to unfamiliar places.
“Use credit cards and travelers checks where possible and try not to carry too much spare cash, especially when going to remote locations that you are unfamiliar with,” Moro added.
Something about the website feels off.
“Watch out for suspicious URLs ― website addresses that look slightly off or contain unusual characters, such as inconsistencies between the URL and site descriptions, grammatical errors, or using characters in place of letters, such as a zero for an ‘o,’” Allen said.
She noted that this kind of vigilance is especially important when you discover a website through an ad on social media or another website, as this kind of marketing is not thoroughly vetted in advance. If you want to book that hotel room, flight or rental car deal you saw, try to go to the vendor’s actual website to confirm it’s legit.
“Be very careful when doing online searches,” Nofziger said. “Criminals can engineer their website to be at the top of the search results to get your attention. Additionally, when needing to connect with customer service, go directly to the website and look for the ‘Contact Us’ page. Many scammers will place fake customer service phone numbers online.”
Look out for unexpected spelling and grammar mistakes and poor image quality or design before sharing sensitive information online.
“One of the best lines of defense against scams and threats while traveling is your instinct,” Moro said. “If you feel something is off about a website, a situation or in general, trust your gut and remove yourself from the situation. Most of the time, your instinct is right.”
Communication takes place through unofficial channels.
“Never trust unsolicited communication of any kind,” Armeson urged. “Even if the message seems real, don’t click on anything or download anything until you are certain it is legitimate. Do your own independent research using official websites and phone numbers ― don’t use websites or numbers provided in unsolicited messages.”
Make sure you’re communicating with travel vendors through their official phone number, app or email address.
“You always want to go through a well-known travel company, and if online, you want to go through their website directly, not through a search link and absolutely not through an email link,” Levi said.
If you’re booking a vacation rental through a service like AirBnb or Vrbo, be wary of hosts who push you to take your conversation off the platform to an external messaging app or text. Keep communication on the system where it can be monitored.
You’re pressured to buy quickly …
If a sales pitch turns aggressive, that might be a red flag to back away from an enticing travel opportunity.
“Do not allow FOMO get a hold of your emotions,” Nofziger said. “Take your time to think about the offer or what the offer is. For more big purchases like this, any legitimate company will not put pressure on you to buy.”
It’s worth taking time to gather all the information you need to ensure the provider is credible.
“Do your research, make sure to vet the travel company or opportunity prior to giving them money,” Nofziger said. “Type the name of the company with the word’s ‘fraud,’ ‘complaints’ and ‘reviews’ in a search bar, and let others’ experiences guide you.”
… and to share personal information.
Another red flag would be if a travel provider is pressuring you to share sensitive financial information or other personal data that either feels unnecessary for your booking or comes through unofficial channels like an unsolicited call or email.
“Never provide your personal information, such as your credit card information or bank account details, until you verify that the website, app or communication is legitimate,” Allen emphasized. “Once a bad actor gets a hold of this information, they can commit identity theft under your name or drain your bank account.”
Be mindful of giving too much personal information to people you meet during your travels as well. Again, there’s nothing wrong with being friendly and making new connections, but a level of awareness is important to protect your finances and safety.
“Do not share information with strangers including your accommodations and itinerary while embarking on your journey,” Moro advised. “And if you’re traveling with a group, avoid separating from them.”
Klaus Vedfelt via Getty Images
What to do if you suspect you’ve been scammed
Falling victim to a scam can be a demoralizing experience, but there are steps you can take to mitigate the damage.
“If your financial information has been compromised, contact your credit card company or bank right away,” Armeson said. “They can help you secure your accounts and get new cards. If your personal information has been compromised, consider freezing your credit ― which can protect you from fraudulent credit applications.”
You should also dispute any fraudulent charges and see if payments can be stopped or reversed. Reach out to your travel insurance provider as well.
“If you think your device was hacked, use a reputable security app to scan for malware. Uninstall any apps that you don’t recognize or didn’t install, and ensure your operating system and all apps are up to date with the latest software,” Armeson said, noting that a factory reset might help as well.
“Change your passwords for important accounts and make sure two-factor authentication is enabled on all of them.”
In the case of an in-person scam, try to avoid a confrontation and calmly extricate yourself from the situation. Consider reporting what happened to the local authorities if it feels safe to do so. There are also helpful resources like the AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, which is available to non-members as well.
“If the scam occurred on a booking site or social media platform, report it to them,” Armeson said. “Then, go and report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Reporting scams to the FTC gives us a better idea of the impact cybercrime is having on our society.”
