Be on the lookout for summer travel scams

May 16, 2024 – Published on CBS News 13 Tucson, AZ

You might be getting ready to make those summer travel plans, which may include booking those last-minute deals, but those bargains can also set up the risk of being scammed.

There were already far more travel scams in 2024 than in 2023. Roughly 25% of all scams were travel-related in 2023. In 2024, that number will be up to 69% — and the Federal Trade Commission says people have already lost around $50 million.

When you try to book travel, it’s recommended that you use your credit card. That way, if you do get scammed, an attacker won’t have access to your bank accounts.

But recently, things have changed regarding these scams. In the past, attackers would try to get the most money out of you, which raised alarms and made people more likely to report them.

Now, scammers are using a different method as they’re trying to go unnoticed.

“It’s death by a thousand cuts. So if a scammer can make it so it’s below the noise level and they’re just stealing $5-10, and if I can get 100 or 1,000 people to do that, then I can make way more money than just trying to scam one or two people out of $1000 — and, it keeps me off the radar as an attacker,” said Paul Keener, cybersecurity strategist with GuidePoint Security.

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