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Travel scams are getting harder to spot. Here's how to stay safe

Iskander Sanchez-Rola, a scam expert for Norton, says travel scams have become increasingly sophisticated, with scammers using real booking data to make fraudulent messages appear expected rather than suspicious.
According to a Federal Trade Commission report published in June, Americans reported losing $3.5 billion to scams last year, with nearly 1 in 3 fraud reports involving impostors contacting victims through text, email, phone, social media, and search engines.
Scammers target hotel systems by phishing staff to obtain login credentials, then send emails with actual reservation dates and costs to demand payments. Sanchez-Rola said the scam weaponizes "a real reservation" to deceive travelers.
Alissa Abdullah, Mastercard's deputy chief security officer, warns that scammers paste fraudulent QR codes over legitimate ones at restaurants to redirect payments. Abdullah recommends using cash or credit cards if a sticker appears layered on top.
Brian Cute, chief executive officer at Global Cyber Alliance, advises caution when using public Wi-Fi, which cyber criminals often spoof to steal personal information. Cute recommends sticking to basic searches rather than accessing banking or email.

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