COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — As the summer travel season gets underway, consumers using search engines and artificial intelligence tools to research vacations should take extra precautions before booking flights and hotels, according to cybersecurity expert Dr. Michael Skiba, also known as Dr. Fraud.
Dr. Fraud says online research tools can be helpful, but travelers should always complete reservations through a company's official website.
“It's OK to do your research there, but if you're going to book and put your credit card information and some of your PII [personally identifiable information] in there, then definitely go to that legitimate site,” Dr. Fraud explained. “Go to united.com. Don't even go on Google and put in United because that could also send you somewhere else.”
He warned that scammers increasingly create convincing imposter websites that mimic legitimate airlines, hotels and travel companies. Some fraudulent sites can even appear in search engine results or be surfaced through AI-generated recommendations.
Dr. Fraud said travelers should be wary of deals that seem significantly cheaper than competitors.
“If it's not within 30 percent of the average price of the other airlines or the other rental bookings, that should be a big flag that something's gone awry,” he said.
Fraudsters often rely on pressure tactics to push consumers into making quick decisions, he added.
“They use a lot of psychological tricks,” Dr. Fraud added. “One of them is a sense of urgency. They're going to say, ‘This flight is $300 and it's only good for another 30 seconds.’”
He also advised travelers to avoid booking sites that request unusual forms of payment, such as cryptocurrency or wire transfers. Dr. Fraud pointed to a case involving an imposter Alaska Airlines website that appeared online several years ago. According to Dr. Fraud, some travelers booked flights through the fraudulent site and did not realize they had been scammed until arriving at the airport.
To verify a website's authenticity, Dr. Fraud recommends returning to the basics by manually typing a company's web address into a browser rather than relying solely on search results. For travelers who remain uncertain, Dr. Fraud said contacting a company directly can provide additional reassurance.
“Go back to just human-to-human contact,” he said. “Sometimes that's the best approach with AI.”
Several red flags to look out for:
- Deals that look too good to be true
- Sites that pressure you to act fast or lose the deal
- Sites that ask for crypto, wire transfers, or other unusual payments
- Imposter websites
Recommendations
- Research via search engines or AI if desired, but book only through official company websites.
- Manually type company URLs.
- Verify customer service numbers through official websites.
- Avoid making decisions under time pressure.
If you notice a rental listing scam, report it to your local law enforcement agency and the website where the ad was posted. And report it to:
- the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- your state attorney general
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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