How To Avoid Fake Booking Websites And Travel Agency Scams

Booking your travel online has become the go-to option for millions of tourists worldwide. However, with convenience comes risk.

Scammers and cybercriminals are increasingly targeting unsuspecting travelers with fake/cloned booking websites and travel agency scams.

In this article, we’ll break down how these scams operate, what you stand to lose, and how to protect yourself when booking trips online.

1) How It Works

Booking frauds primarily target those searching for the best deals on flights, hotels, and vacation packages.

Scammers create fraudulent websites and use clone phishing techniques to impersonate legitimate booking platforms. In other cases, they pose as legitimate third-party travel agencies, offering deals that are “too good to be true,” enticing you to pay and share sensitive personal and financial information.

1.1 Funnelling

The processes of engaging, funnelling, and stealing money are similar to other well-known scams, like those involving Fake Visas. Here are three common ways scammers lure their victims:

Search Engine Ranking: Scammers leverage SEO tactics and paid ads to position their fake websites at the top of search engine results, targeting specific travel-related keywords.
Social Media Ads and Posts: Sponsored posts or ads on social media, often bolstered by fake comments and reactions from bots, are used to grab the attention of potential victims.
Phishing Emails and Calls: Cybercriminals send emails or make calls posing as travel agencies, directing victims to cloned websites and travel agency scams, or tricking them into downloading malware. They may also try to intercept ongoing booking processes to insert themselves into the transaction.

Potential victims are then led to professional-looking landing pages, making the scam appear credible.

1.2 Harvesting

As mentioned, the fraudulent tactics commonly used include:

Cloned Websites: These lookalike websites imitate trusted booking platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, or Airbnb. Their resemblance to the real websites makes it easy for travelers to be fooled.
Fake Travel Agencies: These scammers create websites that appear legitimate, complete with ads, solid SEO, user-friendly design, and even fake customer service numbers or chat support.

Both types of this scam usually feature professional-looking websites designed to convince you to enter your personal information and payment details to close the deal. Once the payment is made, you may receive nothing—or worse, receive fake confirmation emails, codes or booking details.

In the case of fake travel agencies, the scheme is often more elaborate, run by organized groups with fake support lines and chats. These scams are harder to detect early and often seem legitimate until the moment of departure or check-in, when victims realize their booking codes or documents are invalid.

2) What You Risk

Falling for a fake booking website or travel agency scam can have serious consequences:

Money Lost: You could end up paying for a flight or hotel that doesn’t exist. Once scammers get your money, it might be nearly impossible to get it back, especially if you used wire transfers or gift cards,
Ruined Travel Plans: Imagine realizing at the airport that your ticket is fake, or arriving at your destination only to find out your hotel reservation doesn’t exist. Fake booking confirmations often come with bogus flight numbers or hotel details, leaving you stranded without transportation or accommodation,
Theft of funds from the accounts used for payments,
Identity Theft: Scammers often ask for more than just payment information. They may request your passport or other sensitive data. With these, they can open credit lines, commit bank fraud, or sell your information on the dark web. In the case of a cloned website they could also now access your account on the official platform.

3) How to Avoid It

The best way to protect yourself from travel booking scams is to stay vigilant and take precautionary steps before making any prepaid online or phone reservation.

Here are two key things to keep in mind:

Deals that are significantly cheaper than what’s available on trusted booking websites and services might be a red flag— especially for the same packages or services offered elsewhere,
Also, you should always avoid clicking on random links from emails or social media ads without verifying the real source. Scammers might use email, messages, or social media, even posing as well-known companies official pages and employees, to post or send offers that seem too good to pass up.

3.1 How to Spot Fake Travel Websites

To protect yourself from cloned travel websites, follow these easy steps:

ALWAYS double-check the website’s URL. Fake sites often have subtle differences, like extra hyphens or misspelled words. Stick to trusted websites, and if unsure, type the address directly into your browser,
Look for HTTPS: Ensure the website is secure by checking for “HTTPS” in the address bar,
Check the offers and deals on Official Websites and platforms by typing the URL into your browser to verify them.

3.2 Using Online Travel Agencies or Booking Platforms

If you’re unfamiliar with a booking site or app, or the travel agency you are dealing with, here’s how to stay safe from untrustworthy and phony ones:

Check the Contact Details and Reviews: If the booking site or app is unfamiliar, look for company contact information. A lack of clear basic details about the company or of online reviews is a clear red flag,
Search for Complaints: Do a quick search for reviews and complaints, such as “[Travel agency name] + reviews” or “[Travel agency name] + scam,” to see if other travelers have had issues with the company,
Use Trusted Payment Methods: Credit cards usually offer fraud protection and dispute resolution. Some payment apps and services, like Postepay, also offer protection and refunds. Avoid using wire transfers or gift cards, as these are nearly impossible to reverse,
Ask for an E-ticket Number: Legitimate travel agencies typically send an e-ticket number or similar confirmation, which you can verify with the airline or hotel. If you receive a booking confirmation without a ticket number, proceed with caution.

Also, remember that even some legitimate travel agencies or booking platforms may take advantage of trusting customers by selling low-quality services with poor customer support and no actual refund options. That’s why researching reviews for unfamiliar companies is always essential.

4) What to Do if You’ve Been Scammed

If you’ve fallen victim to a fake booking site or travel agency scam, it might be crucial to act quickly to minimize the damage:

Secure Your Accounts: Change passwords on all affected accounts and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) where possible. This should help prevent further unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Funds: Regularly check your transactions for any suspicious activity. If you notice anything unusual, report it immediately to your bank or payment service provider (e.g., PayPal) fraud department.
Report the Scam: File a report with your local law enforcement agency and relevant authorities. As mentioned, these scams may target more than just your money—they might also aim to steal and sell your identity. Filing a report maight also help you with the next one.
Try to Recover Your Money: Depending on the payment method, you may be able to reverse the transaction. Credit cards and some payment apps/services generally offer a good protection, allowing you to dispute charges. If you used a wire transfer or similar methods, contact the service provider to see if you can stop or reverse the payment.

5) Extras And Thoughts

If you’re not too experienced or simply don’t want to worry too much, it’s always a safer bet to book flights, hotels, or vacation packages directly through official airline or hotel websites, or via well-known and trusted booking platforms. This should ensure your online booking is legitimate and offers better customer support in case something goes wrong.

As mentioned, if you receive calls, messages, or emails asking for sensitive information like payment details or your passport number, don’t share anything. Instead, contact the company directly using their official contact information. Legitimate companies will never request such sensitive details via email or phone.

Interested in learning more about phishing calls and mails in online booking? Check out our post on Top 10 House Rental Scams for these and more frauds.

5.1 Clarifications

In this article, we’ve mainly discussed clone booking websites and fake travel agencies.

However, while researching, we encountered numerous lesser known but seemingly legitimate travel agencies and booking platforms from various countries. Despite being legal and apparently trustworthy, after conducting a quick search, we found out that many of these received overwhelmingly negative reviews from customers. Complaints ranged from poor service to borderline fraud, with non-existent customer support.

Once again, if you don’t recognize the travel agency or booking platform offering the “unbeatable deal,” it’s always wise to check their reputation. Even legitimate companies can turn your travel experience sour if they provide inadequate service or lack proper customer support.

Content Disclaimer

All images are licensed under CC0, CC BY, or CC BY-SA and belong to their respective authors.