Holiday fraud: How fraudsters hijack your summer holiday

You've spent hours budgeting, doing your research and comparing options – and you've finally booked your trip. Everything is organised to perfection – then, a day before your departure, your hotel contacts you to say there is a problem with your payment. Suddenly, your holiday is up in the air or, in the worst-case scenario, may not even exist at all...

Holiday fraud is not a new phenomenon, but it is getting more sophisticated every year. Fraudsters set up fake travel agencies and lure you into booking irresistible offers for trips online. Criminals hack the booking platform you used to book your holiday home and send you messages informing you that your payment has failed, or you pay up-front for a rental car that is nowhere to be seen when you arrive at your destination.

Fraudsters are becoming increasingly creative, and are experiencing greater success during peak seasons in particular. Global research has shown that cases of fraud are around 18% higher than average in the summer, and up to 28% higher during the Christmas period (source).

As a general rule, fraudsters use three methods to attempt to scam holidaymakers.

1. Fake ads

The first is through fake ads. Such ads appear as (sponsored) advertisements in search engines or on social media. Criminals often use the names of well-known tour operators, booking platforms and airlines. When you click on the ad, you are taken to a website that looks identical to the official website to the naked eye.

Fraudsters can also offer holiday homes, hotel rooms or flight tickets in popular Facebook groups or on platforms such as Booking.com, copying photos of existing accommodation and adding a convincing description. You make your booking, transfer money or enter your card details and are left empty-handed as the holiday home simply doesn't exist or belongs to someone else. Alternatively, the flight tickets never arrive in your inbox, or that food tour in Rome vanishes into thin air.

2. Reservation hijack scams

The second one is a somewhat newer technique. You've made a genuine reservation through the hotel's website or a legitimate booking platform. However, criminals manage to acquire the hotel's login details, giving them access to all customer information and booking details. They then send you a message on WhatsApp, by email or even through the platform's internal messaging system informing you that your payment failed or your booking will be cancelled if you do not make the payment immediately.

The message contains a link that takes you to a fake payment page, which puts you at risk of paying twice. The messages contain your first name and surname, your booking number, the exact dates of your stay, the name of the hotel and the phone number of a 'customer service' team. Although it all looks authentic and the sender seems to be correct, this is exactly what makes this type of fraud so dangerous. After all, the fact that you may be communicating with a fraudster and not the hotel manager may not even cross your mind. And you'd be far from the only one, as hundreds of Flemish hotel guests received similar fraudulent payment requests in late May 2026 (source).

3. Imposter scams

Suppose you're heading to the airport with your family, but are stuck in a traffic jam. While it means you will miss your flight to Barcelona, other flights are available later in the day. You want to book another flight quickly and Google the name of the airline, click on the first result that comes up (an ad at the top of the page) and are forwarded to a site that looks familiar.

You find the customer service phone number and chat with a friendly voice who searches for your booking and guides you through the process to change your booking. You share your card details and everything seems sorted… However, it then turns out that you weren't talking to the airline after all, but to fraudsters who spoofed you with a fake ad and a fake website.

In imposter scams, fraudsters pretend to be official customer service representatives of airlines, hotels and booking platforms. Anyone who calls their number or clicks on their website shares their payment details directly with fraudsters. In the United States, one traveller lost $12,000 after a rebooking procedure that looked and felt genuine. The sponsored ad that led them to the fake website appeared at the top of the Google search results (source).

TIP When paying for your holiday online, be sure to use your credit card. Keytrade Bank credit cards come with purchase protection insurance.

The red flags

Since generative AI has become accessible to everyone, fraudsters are becoming increasingly inventive and are operating on a larger scale. As an example, Booking.com saw a 900% increase in holiday fraud in the first 18 months following the launch of ChatGPT (source). That means the chances of being taken in by a fraudster are greater than ever. Yet anyone who is aware of the signs is much harder to trick.

The price is too good to be true. A villa with a pool in Tuscany for €80 a night. A business-class flight for the price of an economy-class ticket. If something is glaringly cheap or even free, this is almost always a reason to be suspicious.

You are asked to pay outside the platform. Booking platforms have secure payment systems. Anyone asking you to transfer money directly to a private account through WhatsApp or by email wants to lead you away from such secure systems. Never follow such instructions, even if the message appears to come from the hotel itself.

You are under time pressure. You are told "Pay within 24 hours or your booking will expire" or "This offer is only available for two hours". Fraudsters prefer to use urgency as a tool because it stops us from applying critical thinking.

The pictures aren't right or crop up elsewhere. Fraudsters steal images of existing accommodation. Use Google Lens or Google Images to run a reverse image search. Upload a photo to see if it appears in several places that are completely different.

Reviews aren't available or sound too positive. Check out the rental company or owner on external platforms such as Trustpilot. A lack of reviews is just as suspicious as a whole host of overly enthusiastic, generic reviews that don't include any details.

The account or profile has just been created. Platforms such as Airbnb or Facebook Marketplace show you how long a provider has been active for. Accounts that are a few days or weeks old, that have no history and show no previous transactions, could be suspicious.

The URL isn't quite right. Fake websites mimic existing platforms, sometimes down to the finest details. Yet the website address says booking-secure.com instead of booking.com, or has a subtly different spelling.

How you can protect yourself

1. Book through official channels

Go directly to the hotel, airline or booking platform's website. Enter the address in your browser, and do not click on links in emails or ads on social media. In the event you do, be sure to check the address very carefully.

2. Pay by credit card

Bank transfers are virtually impossible to reverse. Credit card payments offer some protection, as you can request a chargeback if the service is not delivered. That is the main reason for choosing a credit card over a direct bank transfer when booking your holiday.

3. Do not respond to unexpected payment requests

If you receive a WhatsApp message or email about an outstanding payment for an existing booking, contact the hotel or the platform yourself using the official contact details on their website. Never use the phone number or link contained in the suspicious message.

4. Verify the address

Search for the address of the holiday home in Google Street View. Does the building exist? Does it look like the pictures you've seen? A quick look doesn't come with any guarantees, but it can save you a lot of trouble.

5. Keep a copy of all communications

Take a screenshot of confirmations, save emails and keep track of booking numbers. That way, you have some proof if something goes wrong.

Stay safe online with Keytrade Bank

At Keytrade Bank, security is a top priority. If your personal bank details have been listed on a suspicious website, your personal details have been shared with an unknown person over the phone or you've spotted an unknown payment that you didn't make personally, you can call us 24/7 on +32 (0)2 679 90 00.