Watch out for travel scams

A fake hotel site can look real enough to take your card, send a confirmation email, and still leave you standing at a front desk with no room. The Federal Trade Commission warned in June 2025 that scammers build travel sites advertising cheap trips and use them to steal money and personal information. (consumer.ftc.gov) The timing is not random. Booking spikes before summer and holidays, and scam reports rise with it because travelers are tired, rushed, and comparing dozens of tabs at once. (consumer.ftc.gov) One common version starts in search results. The Better Business Bureau said in May 2025 that travelers were clicking lookalike hotel pages, entering payment details, and later learning the real hotel had no reservation on file. (bbb.org) Another version starts after something goes wrong. The Federal Trade Commission said scammers watch social media for posts about delays and cancellations, then pose as airline customer service agents and ask for booking numbers, bank details, or logins. (consumer.ftc.gov) That fake help can get expensive fast. The Points Guy reported that bogus airline support numbers have shown up in search results and social posts, and some victims were charged by merchants that appeared to be connected to the airline name they thought they were calling. (thepointsguy.com) Frequent-flier miles are now part of the target list. Scripps News reported in January 2026 that scammers posing as airline agents were draining loyalty accounts and even canceling real reservations after getting access to passenger details. (nbc26.com) The red flags are boring, which is why they work. The Federal Trade Commission says a travel site that pushes payment by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency is waving a giant warning sign, because those payment methods are hard to reverse once the money is gone. (consumer.ftc.gov) The safer move is slower and less convenient. Type the airline or hotel web address yourself, use the company’s official app if it has one, and call the number listed on your existing confirmation or on the brand’s own site instead of a number from search or a direct message. (consumer.ftc.gov; thehendersonnews.com) If a deal promises a business-class upgrade, a luxury hotel, or a pile of miles at a price that looks impossible, treat it like a forged concert ticket: it only has to look real long enough to get through checkout. Before you pay, search the company name with the word “scam” or “complaint,” and make sure the seller has a real address, a real phone line, and a refund policy you can actually read. (consumer.ftc.gov; aarp.org) If you already paid and something feels off, contact your card issuer immediately, change the password on your airline and hotel accounts, and report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud. The money loss hurts, but the bigger mess is often the clock: rebooking a flight, replacing stolen points, and fixing an account takeover can eat the trip you thought you bought. (consumer.ftc.gov; consumer.ftc.gov)