Fraud for Explorer they have become one of the main revenue streams for cybercriminals. In 2022 alone, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported more than 62,400 victims of fraud.
Complaints have been implicated Losses averaged $1,259 per scam victima figure which totals 104 million dollars.
According to the United Kingdom Travel Agents Trade Association (ABTA), the most common types of vacation booking scams involve accommodations, airline tickets, sports and religious travel, timeshares, and holiday clubs.
Types of travel scams
ESET computer security company it is mentioned that among the most common types of fraud, it stands out fake free holidays, clone sites, discounted tickets or travel, “assistance” with international travel documents, fake accommodations and private flight scams.
Criminals use such paths emails, calls or text messages to contact their victims.
Besides that, Website cloning is becoming more common to scam travelers looking for a cheap vacationso fake pages with flights, lodging, and tour discounts pretending to be legit may catch your eye.
The victim receives a fake confirmation email or reservation number, after making a payment, many people are not aware of the scam until they get to their destination to register, be it the airline, hotel or service they thought they would buy.
Discounted travel, airfare, or other vacation packages may be legit, but the reason they’re being sold at such a deep discount is because cloned cards or hijacked accounts were used to buy them.
Victims often risk having their trip disrupted when a scam is discovered. This hoax is often advertised on social media, email, and even robocalls.
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Avoid Wi-Fi on vacation
ESET recommends avoiding using Wi-Fi because they can be fake access points created by cybercriminals looking to spy on travelers browsing to steal passwords and personal or financial data.
Even if the internet access point is legitimate, hackers can search the same network to spy on travelers’ online activities or breach networks to distribute malware that affects browsing and can unlock user data.
Recommendations for travelers
ESET recommends before buying a travel, lodging, flight or vacation package ensure the site is safe and genuine, Apart from not paying with bank transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or apps that offer no protection.
Not visiting obscure websites that offer vacations and tickets at deeply discounted prices and not using public Wi-Fi from virtual private networks (VPNs) and avoiding using public charging stations are other recommendations from the company.
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