Inbound and outbound
travelers from the Emirates are searching for fascinating and affordable
destinations to visit as the UAE enters its busiest summer travel season.
Travel industry experts claim that demand for inexpensive hotels and flights
has increased.
However, as the travel and
tourism industries see growth, cyber security experts claim an increase in con
artists looking to cheat enthusiastic tourists. A number of phishing pages
masquerading as airline and booking services have been distributed, according
to top researchers and specialists from Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity and
antivirus company.
The majority of journeys
begin with a plane or train ticket, and bargain-hunting travelers are common,
according to Kaspersky security specialist Mikhail Sytnik.
"We have come across a
lot of fraudulent websites that claim to allow consumers to purchase aircraft
tickets for less money. According to Sytnik, these websites are frequently
expertly constructed phishing pages that imitate well-known airline businesses
and ticket brokers.
Some of these websites even
provide information on actual flights, he added, thanks to skilled phishers who
make search requests to flight aggregators and display the results.
However, they keep the
traveler's money and exploit personal information for illicit reasons rather
than providing the promised plane tickets."Many bogus pages are
making an effort to entice travelers with gift cards, lotteries, and airline
ticket drawings. Users are given the option to complete a brief survey and
provide their information in exchange for a sizable discount on an airline
ticket, according to Sytnik.
Such websites wind up being
phishing sites, gathering the personal information and credit card information
of victims, much like many other offers that look too good to be true, he
continued. The prompt to share the website with friends in order to win the
prize frequently follows the survey's conclusion. In these situations,
fraudsters use the victims as a weapon to spread the con farther.
"A connection from a
known source seems more reliable than one from an unknown source. When a person
clicks on the link and tries to claim their prize, they frequently discover
they must first pay a commission or fee. The fraudsters then vanish without compensating
the user after receiving this money, according to Sytnik.
Utilizing phony rental
businesses is another common scheme to con unsuspecting tourists. Offering a
luxurious two-bedroom apartment near the city's center for only €500 a month is
one instance.
The rental of a complete
four-bedroom home with a pool and fireplace for under €1,000 for an entire
month is another alluring offer. The reviews speak highly of the wonderful trip
and the gracious hosts. Users are encouraged to pay for their month-long stay
as a result. Nevertheless, they wind up transferring their money to con
artists," he continued.
"Vacation planning is
difficult. People may hunt for the ideal lodging and the necessary travel
arrangements for weeks or even months. This is how scammers entice people who
have grown weary of looking for amazing discounts. Travel is now again possible
after the pandemic's two-year airplane ban. However, travel scams are also on
the rise, with more fraud targeting consumers through phony rental and booking
sites, according to Sytnik.
Such attacks are avoidable,
so we advise consumers to be wary of offers that seem too attractive. According
to him, if an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is.
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