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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 have become 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 legitimate 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 restaurant codes to redirect payments to fake systems.
Brian Cute, chief executive officer at Global Cyber Alliance, advises travelers to avoid accessing sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi, as cyber criminals often spoof networks to steal personal information and device access.

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