A new report by proprietary software company McAfee shows that travellers are not yet fully aware of the importance of online security. From large-scale scams to the dangers of public Wi-Fi: the study specifies how travellers put themselves most at risk and what they can do to act against it.
Although we spend an important part of our lives online, many still aren’t sufficiently aware of the possible risks we may encounter while using the internet. As the omnipresence of AI makes things even more complicated, proprietary software company McAfee looked into how travellers in particular are concerned by online threats.
The outcome of the study is disturbing, to say the least. Some 38% of those interviewed have already encountered a travel-related scam, and 41% of those have lost money as a result – for almost half (48%), the total amount lost exceeded $500. With 90% of travellers feeling pressure to book quickly, 33% admit they’ve ignored warning signs to avoid missing out on deals, while 41% trust messages that appear to come from airlines or hotels without verifying them.
“The cost of travel is getting more expensive each year, and that’s changing how people make decisions. When prices are high and availability feels tight, people will likely move faster. Scammers take advantage of that by impersonating the travel brands and messages consumers already trust. AI is making these scams faster to create, more convincing, and easier to scale,” said Abhishek Karnik, Head of Threat Research at McAfee.
According to McAfee, rising travel costs are a big part of the issue. For example, one in three (32%) would book a cheaper deal before verifying it’s legitimate, while one in five clicks travel-related links without first verifying the source. This is reflected in the travel scares that travellers are most likely to fall for.
- Fake travel deals or promotions (15%)
- Scam booking confirmations and travel updates (15%)
- Manipulated or misleading accommodation listings (15%)
- Payment requests outside official platforms (11%)
- Fake vacation rental listings (10%)
- Fake airline or hotel websites (9%)
- Impersonation of airline or hotel customer service (9%)
Travel scams tend to spread quickly as they often impersonate brands people already trust. For example, the report shows that Tripadvisor was the most commonly impersonated travel app, cloned at roughly three times the rate of other major platforms. In several cases, thousands of scam detections traced back to just a handful of fake apps, showing how fast a convincing scam can scale when travellers are rushing to book.
“For travellers, scams are less about obvious red flags and more about timing and familiarity, with messages that arrive at the right moment and look like they come from a trusted source. That shift makes it harder to rely on instinct alone”, the McAfee report reads.
How to avoid travel scams?
In order not to become a victim of travel scams, there are some common habits to avoid or to at least handle with care. Using public Wi-Fi while traveling for example, which is done by 63% of travellers, should be done thoughtfully and carefully, as many of such networks are trying to get a hold of personal details and passwords.
Moreover, scanning QR codes (62%), using airport Wi-Fi (49%), trusting messages that appear to come from airlines or hotels without verifying them (41%), accessing financial apps on public Wi-Fi (22%), clicking travel-related links without verifying the source (20%), sharing travel plans or locations in real time (22%), and using shared or public computers (15%) are some of the most-made habits that are putting travellers at risk.
Aside from avoiding those habits, there are some tools and reflexes to keep in mind when travelling this summer. First and foremost, be aware of deals and don’t feel pressured to click quickly. No matter how good the price, it’s not worth taking risks. A scam detection tool – like McAfee’s Scam Detector – can help verify content before it’s too late, while McAfee also advises booking directly through official airline, hotel, or travel platforms. Lastly, a secure VPN can protect one’s information in case public Wi-Fi is unavoidable.
