Scam of the Week: These Travel Offers Are Too Good To Be True

In this week’s scam, cybercriminals are taking advantage of travelers and tourists by sending out fake emails. The emails appear to be from legitimate airlines, hotels, and other travel-related organizations. However, the emails are actually a clever trick that scammers use to steal your money and personal information.

The email you receive could appear to be from any travel organization, and they usually offer a chance to win a prize or a travel package. Or the email may sound urgent, such as claiming that you need to resolve an issue with your Airbnb or hotel account. If you click the link in one of these emails, you will be taken to a fake website and instructed to enter your personal information or user credentials. Anything you enter on these fake websites is transmitted directly to the cybercriminals. You do not win a prize for following the instructions in the emails, but the cybercriminals do. They get your data!

Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to travel scams:

• Be skeptical of email offers that sound too good to be true.
• Unsolicited emails that instruct you to take an urgent action should be treated very cautiously. Cybercriminals often try to create a sense of urgency to trick you into falling for their scams.
• Legitimate travel organizations will not ask you to provide sensitive or personal information through email. Always make sure that you are using the organization’s official webpage before entering any information or user credentials.