MOSCOW, July 30About 75% of Russians who suffered from scammers when planning a trip came across fake sites, experts from Kaspersky Lab and the Mantera group of companies said (manages the largest tourist assets in southern Russia — the Krasnaya Polyana resort, Sochi Park Hotel) .
«The peak of activity of malefactors falls on the New Year period, the time of the early booking campaign, when accommodation facilities offer significant discounts, and in the period from May to August. About 75% of Russians who suffered from scammers when planning a vacation came across fake sites. Often we are talking about about a network of phishing resources that may belong to the same owners. Popular travel brands are more often at risk, and tourists sometimes find out about deception only at the hotel check-in desk,» Mantera said.
The remaining 25% came from phishing messages in Telegram channels and bogus mailing lists. Experts noted that with the departure of international booking systems, a decrease in outbound destinations, and the bankruptcy of a number of tour operators and travel agencies, fraudsters switched to domestic tourism. Olga Svistunova, Senior Content Analyst at Kaspersky Lab, noted that the time of travel planning and the holiday season itself is a period when scammers become more active, «because people can lose their vigilance in anticipation of a vacation.»
«We remind you to remain vigilant and exercise caution when planning your trips. Check the authenticity of websites, use reliable booking platforms, and never give out personal or financial information without proper verification,» Svistunova said.
Experts of the Mantera group of companies and Kaspersky Lab recommend a number of steps that will help protect the tourist when planning a vacation. The first is to stick to sites with a good reputation: when booking tickets, use trusted and well-known booking platforms, airline and hotel websites. At the same time, experts recommend that you beware of unfamiliar or suspicious sites that offer incredibly low prices or require the provision of excessive personal information.
The second recommendation is to check the authenticity of the site before making any transactions or providing personal data, and also not to enter your data on sites with typos or unusual domain names. In addition, experts advise reading reviews from reputable sources and carefully researching information about accommodation facilities, airlines and travel agencies, as well as using a reliable security solution that protects against online fraud and phishing on all devices.