Scammers out to steal travel bugs’ data, money

MANILA, Philippines  —With no letup in the momentum of tourism activities, digital booking platform AirAsia MOVE reminded the public to be wary of scams that offer fake discounts for flights and hotels to trick users into providing personal information.

In a statement on Friday, the Capital A Berhad unit said travelers should protect themselves by engaging only with legitimate booking applications, and avoiding transactions with dubious online travel agents.

“We advise them to avoid unverified groups and pages offering discounts on flights and hotels. Travel has to be fun and memorable, and not stressful,” said Rowena Rivera, AirAsia MOVE head of travel for the Philippines.

Citing data from the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group, AirAsia MOVE noted that the number of travel-related scams grew from 51 recorded cases in 2021 to as much as 842 in 2023.

READ: How to avoid falling prey into online travel scams

One such scam is “fakebooking,” according to the PNP, which aims to illegally obtain a traveler’s personal information.

This is a form of phishing activity, which usually employs fake websites to deceive unsuspecting individuals.

Another type of scam involves immediate financial gains for the perpetrators.

“In many cases, victims were asked to send a downpayment or even a full payment to avail of a fake discount, only to discover later that they have been scammed,” the travel platform explained.

Also, AirAsia MOVE advised the public to be cautious over offers that are too good to be true. For example, if the hotel rates were much lower than published prices, the offer is likely a scam.

READ: Filipinos lose P1 billion per year in online scams, says CICC

Further, the company said that individuals should watch out for red flags like grammatical errors and typographical mistakes.

Cybersecurity experts have noted that online scams have been on the rise as cybercriminals continue to step up their game.