From IPL tickets to rental villas, summer holiday scams are on the rise

Planning to travel to another city to catch an IPL match and saw an offer for a match ticket that looked too good to be true?

It probably is.

As Indians eagerly look forward to a summer vacation, anything from booking a resort accommodation to a conducted tour or an event like IPL, scammers are also on the lookout, it seems. 

 

While Indians are wary of online scams, it seems it still is not enough to prevent them from falling prey to them. In fact, according to findings by McAfee, 1 out of every 5 Indians have lost money, an average of 40,000 rupees, while booking summer travel.

 

The typical modus operandi include unrealistically discounted deals, including malicious confirmation or booking links which can expose sensitive personal and financial information, through manipulated photos, invalid bookings and stolen QR codes. 

 

Worse, young Indians are more susceptible to getting conned, McAfee found. Those in the age group 25-34 reported more instances of being lured to click on fake links or fooled by manipulated photos.

 

Some of the common cyber cheating related to tourism include customers booking online and paying for hotel rooms or rentals that turned out not to exist upon arrival—1 in every 5 surveyed reported being cheated by this method. 

 

Nearly a similar number gave an advance deposit for an event (a fast-growing category in experiential travel these days) or excursion/conducted tour where the provider never showed up. Or similarly, an equal number found an event or excursion they paid for to be nothing like what it was advertised as. 

 

With travel going paperless, cases of identity theft, not just through bank accounts, but stealing of boarding pass QR codes, passport details, etc., have also come to light. 

 

“With peak summer travel season underway, there is a critical need for increased vigilance against travel scams due to the combination of people eagerly seeking budget-friendly options and the rising sophistication of fraudulent activities,” said Pratik Mukherjee, senior director, McAfee. “It is essential for everyone to verify sources, use secure payment methods and be wary of deals that seem too-good-to-be-true to safeguard their vacations from becoming bad experiences.”

Tourism