There has been a rise in scams recently, and with travelling coming into full swing, it's imperative more than ever before to be vigilant! So what are the scams that you should look out for?
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What is phishing?
Phishing occurs when an attacker pretends to be a trusted person or brand in order to trick you into sending personal information. This could include your bank card details, home address, and email login information!
Who has been affected?
Major booking websites
Booking.com, Agoda and many more have been a staple in many people's travel plans, from booking accommodations to attractions and even rentals. It plays an integral role in travel plans, and with the rise in scams linked to this household name, it's important to take note of what's going on!
Recently, Booking.com has been in hot water as the scammers have been able to hide behind the brands better, being able to log into administrative portals of individual hotels and sending emails and messages through the actual Booking.com app to scam customers into paying them.
This has become a larger issue as the amount of money being scammed from their customers are significant amounts. There are measures being taken by these companies such as ensuring their partners and customers accounts are secure, and flagging any suspicious chatbot activities.
Hotel chains
There has been an increase in cyberattacks on hotels as well! Just a few months back, there was a string of attacks on major hotels in Las Vegas, which caused shutdowns in systems. Many people were stranded due to the inability to check-in to the hotel they paid for, losing them a ton of money. Personal information was also vulnerable as well!
What can you do to stay safe?
Check the email address
Oftentimes, scammers will use email addresses that sound or look similar to the actual brands, giving a false sense of security. However, we can check and compare it with the actual brand's email and see if they're similar.
Contact the hotels directly
Unsure about the email or message they sent you? Contact them directly! Sending them a different email using the email address you got from their actual website itself can help you clear your doubts! Screenshot or save the email as a pdf if you feel like you have to.
Take note of suspicious/different changes when booking
We all have a routine when booking travel plans all the time! So, that makes us notice different or weird changes that feel out of place. For example, if a hotel suddenly asks for a deposit when you have never had that experience before. Don't immediately comply! Check the booking page as well as the actual hotel page to see if there's any information about this. Or contact them directly!
Don't be embarrassed!
Telling people or admitting you were scammed is not something to be proud of, let alone discussing it with others. However, it's important to know that anyone can fall for a scam and with the tactics being more nuanced and hidden away more easily, it's easier than ever. Taking time to learn from it can help prevent this in the future! Sharing your experiences will also help to educate others and we believe that that's more important!
We all love to travel, be it near or far. However, being safe and making sure that you don't fall for scams is always a high priority! Besides, who wouldn't want more money to spend on your actual trip? Stay safe out there, and happy travels!