Travel scams warning ahead of Easter and school holidays

Australia has been under attack from scammers and hackers, and people planning a long-awaited holiday are in the firing line.

Travel scammers took a break in 2020 as border shutdowns sent their target market into hibernation, but the fraudsters are back as domestic holidays are set surge in the coming weeks.

Easter and school holidays are peak periods for travel, and cybersecurity specialists say consumers need to be more alert amid a spike in the use of email and text message notifications in the past year.

McAfee cyber safety ambassador Alex Merton-McCann says phishing attacks are an easy way for scammers to mass target consumers.

“They work by sending a consumer a fake text or email that, at first glance, looks to be from a legitimate travel company, such as a request to confirm a booking,” she says.

Alex Merton-McCann, Cyber Safety Ambassador for McAfee in Australia and New Zealand

Cybersecurity agency Proofpoint’s area vice-president, Crispin Kerr

“Instead, it collects valuable, personal information.

“Fake booking websites are a huge threat at these times of the year. Scammers will also go to the trouble of creating fake accommodation listings on legitimate websites to receive money from consumers.”

Merton-McCann says consumers shouldn’t share or store personal details online unless absolutely necessary, and should check messages and URLs for odd-looking characters and spelling mistakes.

“Always trust your gut – if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and if you can’t believe you’ve won a super cheap prize holiday, then choose not to,” she says.

Cybersecurity agency Proofpoint’s area vice president, Crispin Kerr, says people should always book through accredited and reputable travel websites and be wary of lookalike sites.

“Verify before you buy by reading online reviews and searching for any previous customer complaints, and never open attachments or click through links from unknown senders,” he says.

“Never provide personal details or financial information to an unsolicited source.”

Kerr says scammers time their attacks during periods when Australians are usually travelling.

“With interstate borders now more stable and more Australians travelling locally, we’ve began to see a steady rise in the number of travel scams,” he says.

“Scammers can also target those who may be looking for last-minute accommodation, which can often make them more susceptible as they search online for deals and ways to save money.”

Kerr says people who get scammed should:

• Stop making any further contact or payments.

• Contact their bank immediately.

• Report it their IT team if scammed on work-related device.

• Report it to the ACCC’s Scamwatch.

• Change online passwords.