Artificial intelligence is fueling an unprecedented hike in holiday travel scams. As this technology progresses, so do the ways scammers can take your money, as their methods span the entire travel industry.
According to Booking.com, AI-related scams spiked in 2023, stealing over $265,000 from travel scam victims. Nearly 1 in 4 travelers found themselves scammed out of at least $1,000.
AI helps scammers create realistic-looking phishing emails, generate compelling fake websites, and even produce chatbots that impersonate customer service professionals. The better AI gets, the harder it is to decipher scams from reality.
What Scams Should Travelers Look Out For?
Experts at AI prompt-generator AIPRM compiled a list of the top AI-driven threats to holiday travelers in 2024.
Fake Airline and Hotel Booking Websites
When it comes to travel scams, AI renders the need to be a tech expert nearly obsolete. Scammers easily build fake websites and travel booking platforms offering low prices for flights and accommodations. Limited-time sales and other messages of urgency draw in would-be travelers.
Once potential travelers enter their details, scammers can access users’ personal information and money.
Avoid falling for these types of scams by looking for the finer details. Look closely at URLs, notice even the smallest spelling errors, and always verify the website or platform you use is legitimate before entering any details.
According to Forbes, rental scams play a big part in AI-related theft. Scammers place AI-generated ads for rental properties, adding stunning photos of rentals that don’t exist. These scammers do their best to get would-be travelers off their fake app and convince them to hand over financial details directly.
Chatbots and Travel Deals
Humanlike AI chatbots can seamlessly swindle unknowing travelers. Chatbots easily impersonate customer service representatives and offer hard-to-turn-down discounts. They will ask for personal information and try to get travelers to pay up-front for trips that do not exist.
Thankfully, avoiding fake chatbots and travel deals is not as complicated as other scams. The first line of defense is to verify any deals you come across through trusted platforms and websites. Do not click or follow any suspicious links offered through these systems. Instead, pull up trusted sources and verify trip details, phone numbers, addresses, images, and other information before entering personal data.
Phishing Scams
According to AIPRM, 1 in 5 people will click on an AI-generated phishing email. These persuasive ads and emails will convince consumers to click a link inside the email. These emails often leverage fake emergencies, such as sudden flight cancellations.
Scammers convince consumers that clicking the link in the email to enter updated payment information is the only way to save a flight they have already scheduled and paid for.
The good news is that consumers can easily stay safe from these holiday travel scams with a bit of double-checking. Instead of clicking suspicious links in an email, verify flight details using official booking platforms like airline websites.
Red Flags To Avoid
While scammers will always find new ways to scam people out of their hard-earned money, there are some general things to look out for, no matter where consumers find themselves online.
Urgency
Scammers are great at creating a false sense of urgency. If the deal expires in 10 minutes, two hours, or any other type of unreasonable time frame, there’s a good chance it’s a scam.
In a news release, AIPRM founder Christoph C. Cemper explains that “urgency, no matter how well explained (using Generative AI) is the top red flag for any kind of scams, including those for booking trips and holidays.”
‘Too Good To Be True’
Look out for deals that seem too good to be true and ads that immediately lure consumers into sharing financial details. In short, verify everything before handing over personal or financial information.
Cemper addresses this in the news release: “Nowadays, nearly anything can be faked with AI so if it is ‘too’ well written, ‘too’ good to be true in the offer, or ‘too nice’ in pictures, then I would be especially careful.”
In short, avoid falling prey to impulse decisions. Research brands or services before handing over personal information, and analyze finer details.
What To Do if You Get Scammed
AIPRM says once consumers fall victim to a scam, they should immediately consider any shared details useless. Cancel any shared credit or debit cards immediately, and let your bank know.
Though inconvenient, shutting everything down is the best way to avoid scammers using consumer information for further misdeeds. Report the incident to the police, understanding that, while you should inform them, a resolution is rare.
This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
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