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Travel scams are getting harder to spot. Here's how to stay safe

Iskander Sanchez-Rola, a scam expert for Norton, says travel scams are increasingly sophisticated, with impostors using real booking data to trick travelers into believing fraudulent communications are legitimate.
According to a Federal Trade Commission report published in June, Americans reported losing $3.5 billion to scams last year, with nearly 1 in 3 fraud reports involving impostors contacting victims through text, email, and social media.
Scammers often target hotel systems by phishing staff to access real reservation data, then send emails with actual dates and costs to demand immediate payment, Sanchez-Rola said.
Alissa Abdullah, Mastercard's deputy chief security officer, warns that scammers paste fraudulent QR codes over legitimate ones at restaurants, recommending customers use cash or credit cards instead.
Brian Cute, chief executive officer at Global Cyber Alliance, advises travelers using public Wi-Fi to avoid accessing sensitive accounts like banking, as cyber criminals often create spoofed networks to steal personal information.

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