It’s impossible to know the full extent of all of artificial intelligence’s (AI) capabilities. While the pros and cons are being weighed, some are using AI to their advantage and taking travel consumers — and their money — on a ride, just not the one they signed up for.
Booking.com found a jaw-dropping 900% increase in travel scams over the past 18 months, with artificial intelligence AI playing a key role, as reported by BBC. According to Better Business Bureau (BBB) research, victims of travel scams from 2023 in the U.S. lost a total of $265,000, with nearly one in four travelers (24%) losing $1,000 or more to a single scam, according to a McAfee report — all with the assistance of AI technology.
Explore More: 5 Google Flights Tricks To Help You Land the Cheapest Holiday Airfare
Read Next: Why Skipping a Financial Advisor Could Be Your Biggest Money Mistake
“A [false sense] of urgency, no matter how well explained [using Generative AI] is the top red flag for any kind of scams, including those for booking trips and holidays. Nowadays, nearly anything can be faked with AI so if it is ‘too’ well written, ‘too’ good to be true in the offer or ‘too nice’ in pictures, then I would be especially careful,” said Christoph Cemper, founder of AIPRM.
As you start to book your plans home, here are four AI travel scams to watch out for this holiday season.
Trending Now: Suze Orman’s Secret to a Wealthy Retirement–Have You Made This Money Move?
Fake Websites for Hotels and Airlines
Creating a website used to have a human component behind it. Now, with the advances in AI, scammers can easily mock up convincing websites that mimic legitimate travel booking platforms. These sites can lure in unsuspecting travelers with impossible airfare and unbelievable discounts for hotels because — they do not exist.
“Fraudulent travel booking websites and counterfeit tickets can appear in search results, made to look convincing using AI imagery,” said Lynette Owens, vice president of Global Consumer Education and Marketing at Trend Micro. “Stick to established travel booking sites and official airline websites. Before making a purchase, confirm the presence of ‘https’ in the URL, as this indicates a secure connection.”
However, most people find themselves even more tempted with advertising calls to action that showcase “limited time sale” or “only 1 left” to click on these scams without a second thought. Best to look for misspelling, punctuation and other signs that things might not be above board with these sites.
Be Aware: Score These 3 Cheap Flight Deals If You Travel Between Thanksgiving and Christmas
Fake Deals Offered by Chatbots
Customer service through a legitimate company can be powered with an AI chatbot, however, be wary of those that offer significant markdowns on flights, hotels or holiday packages. Those are most likely scams that should be avoided.
Some red flags to look out for are when the AI chatbots ask for personal information or bait you into paying upfront for a travel package that is completely imaginary. Make sure to verify any deals or offers you find online through official travel websites. And above all else, Owens said, “If an offer seems too good to be true, it likely is.”
Phishing Texts and Emails
One in five people click on AI-generated phishing emails, according to a So Safe survey, with 65% falsely lured into revealing personal information through input fields on websites linked in those emails.. Now with AI at their disposal, scammers have gotten even better at making phishing emails and text messages look like they are from actual companies, including ones in the travel sector.
“Approach unsolicited emails with caution, even if they appear to come from reputable sources and avoid clicking on links,” Owens said. “Instead, visit the provider’s website or app directly to verify the information.”
AI-Generated Holiday Reviews
According to a report released by Tripadvisor, the company was able to flag a record-breaking two million reviews as fake on its platform in 2023, only adding to the trend of fake AI-generated airline reviews going up. Using an AI tool like ChatGPT, scammers are able to whip up reviews of praise and elation in a matter of seconds. While these might seem real on first read, they are all computer generated frauds.
To protect yourself, be sure to cross-check reviews across multiple sources. Never rely solely on reviews from travel booking websites and watch for patterns.
“Look for consistent reviews from multiple users, analyze the host’s profile and be wary of deals that appear unusually low-priced,” Owens explained. “Scammers often replicate legitimate listings with minor changes to URLs or contact details, making it essential to double-check every detail.”
So if one travel-based site has a bizarrely high number of glowing reviews posted in a short period of time, chances are it’s an AI-assisted scam.
More From GOBankingRates
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 AI Travel Scams To Watch Out for This Holiday Season
