How do you spot fake travel booking sites?

A recent case attracted the attention of those looking for travel packages with more affordable prices and flexible dates. Agency 123 miles On August 18, it announced that it would suspend printing tickets and packages from its promotional line, which were expected to ship between September and December of this year.

As published by CNN Brazil, the amounts will be fully refunded to customers via vouchers with a monetary adjustment of 150% of the CDI and can be used to purchase other products from the agency itself. Customers will not be able to get a refund of the amount they invested in the packages.

In the statement, the company explained that the lawsuit occurred “primarily due to demand pressure and the continuation of negative economic and market factors related to air ticket prices.”

This clearly caused discomfort among customers. Bloomberg LineaUnable to speak to the agency, A.Ş. complained about the company canceling trips without warning.

In March this year, another well-known agency in the market, Hurb (formerly Hotel Urbano) was also involved in an altercation. As published UolThe Ministry of Justice and Public Security initiated administrative proceedings against the company on the grounds that it disrespected consumer rights.

While these companies are not fake travel booking agencies, they do carry contractual risks associated with each travel package purchased.

On the other hand, there are more complex cases where fake websites promise can’t-miss packages and fail to deliver. In a common airline ticket scam in Brazil, the victim must provide their CPF and password to access a fake website, according to Kaspersky. At this point, credentials are stolen.

After gaining access to the account, fraudsters make money by transferring and selling the victim’s advantage points and miles. If the person does not realize that the account has been compromised and continues to transfer points, the fraudster will continue to steal benefits indefinitely.

Will we learn not to fall into these traps?

There is very little maintenance

An important tip is always Access the official website of the hotel, airline or car rental agency You want to hire. If the website belongs to a third party, check if it is safe and reliable. Don’t take your eyes off it If there are special symbols or misspellings instead of letters, do not purchase the URL and do not follow the purchase process. If you are still in doubt, check the website’s certificate by clicking on the lock icon to the left of the URL. URL shorteners are also frequently used by scammers, so be careful.

Scammers also like to use alternative alphabets to disguise website URLs. phishingfor example, using characters from the Latvian alphabet. Cunning, isn’t it?

Additionally, you can count on other features such as: Safe Web Browsing Part of Kaspersky protection services that protect you from dangerous websites, downloads and extensions.

Rely on your network of friends and family to get advice and tips from companies they’ve used before. Never access links from unknown sourcessuch as email, messaging applications or social networks. You can also get help from: Kaspersky Anti-Phishing ProtectionIt is a protection included in the brand’s three main protection packages that protects you from fake websites and emails created by cybercriminals with the aim of stealing your identity and money.

It is also interesting to always use your credit card instead of a debit card to book online, so in case of a fake website you are not giving direct access to your bank account. Additionally, Kaspersky’s Payment Protection feature prevents your credit card information and financial data from being compromised by hackers when you make a transaction online.

If you have already made a reservation, Call the company in question to confirm registrationBecause if it’s fraud, it’s good to know about it as soon as possible, for example, to report the crime to the credit card company.

Passwords are always protected

If you already have an account on well-known websites such as Airbnb or Booking.com, make your reservation through them. You must use a complex password to access these platforms. HE Kaspersky Password Manager It helps you in your task as it keeps your passwords and payment data in a safe and encrypted area.

The solution offers agility in populating this data, as well as allowing you to create unique and super strong passwords for all your online accounts, without leaving security aside.

Now you know the main ways to protect yourself from scams on websites and travel bookings, and you can always go on holiday with peace of mind and confidence. Kaspersky protection on your devices!