As the weather warms, wanderlust begins to set in for travelers wanting to explore new destinations. While embarking on new adventures is exciting, the risk of falling victim to travel scams is a reality. If springtime travel is in your plans, here are a few essential tips to help ensure a safe and secure journey.
Recognize a scam
While fraudsters are continually coming up with new ways to scam travelers, they often trick people with emails or text messages about “free” vacations and robocalls selling vacation deals. If you respond to these offers, you’ll learn that you’ll have to pay fees and taxes upfront. A legitimate company won’t ask you to pay for a “free” prize.
Beware of phishing
Never click on suspicious links or respond to unsolicited emails or messages claiming to be from airlines, hotels or travel agencies. Instead, go to the company’s official website and search for travel offers, or locate their customer service number on the website and call them directly to inquire or verify the offer.
Use reputable sources
When planning your vacation, one of the best lines of defense is getting recommendations from family and friends. Ask for good travel agencies, vacation rentals, hotels and travel packages, then book on reputable travel platforms, and official airline and hotel websites. Scammers often create fake booking sites to collect payment information or sell nonexistent reservations.
Get it in writing
Before finalizing your trip details— and, more importantly, making final payment—get everything in writing. Details should include the trip itinerary complete with names of the airlines, hotels, charters and groups; total cost including fees, charges and taxes; restrictions; and cancellation policies and penalties.
Protect your payment methods
When making travel-related purchases, use credit cards with fraud-protection services. These include features that will help detect unusual or suspicious transactions; real-time alerts; zero-liability protection and enhanced security measures for online transactions. Notify your bank about your travel plans in advance and avoid using a debit card, which offers less fraud protections compared to a credit card.
Protect your personal information
Be mindful of how and where you share personal information. Don’t discuss travel plans in public where others may overhear, and avoid posting to your social media accounts while you’re on vacation. Establish a safe place for storing passports and travel insurance information, and consider using a virtual private network (VPN) on your devices rather than using Wi-Fi networks, which are often targeted by cybercriminals.
Secure your devices
Before leaving for your trip, update your devices—including smartphones, laptops and tablets—with the latest security features and antivirus software. Use strong passwords for your accounts, enable two-factor authentication, and avoid accessing sensitive information over unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.
When traveling, being aware and prepared is the best way to avoid becoming a victim of fraud and travel scams. Practicing these and other safety tips will help reduce the risk and give you the peace of mind that your next adventure is memorable and worry-free.