Ryanair, Jet2, TUI, Easyjet passengers warned over scam which will lose you £765

A travel warning has been issued over the rise of artificial intelligence scams doing the rounds - which risk Ryanair, Jet2, Easyjet and TUI passengers losing nearly £800. Booking.com has seen a a dramatic 900% increase in travel scams over the past 18 months, with artificial intelligence (AI) playing a key role.

Victims of holiday scams are losing £765 on average – up 4% from the previous year – as AI-wielding fraudsters deceive travellers with more sophisticated tactics. Fake airline and hotel booking websites, AI chatbots offering fake travel deals, phishing emails and text messages and AI-generated holiday reviews are all risks.

While many travellers nowadays use AI to help plan their trips, scammers are also taking advantage of this technology to create professional-looking itineraries designed to deceive. These fake itineraries often feature attractive holiday packages that promise an unforgettable vacation at an unbeatable price, with AI-generated images used to promote false activities, making everything seem enticing. Once you send a deposit or full payment, you might find that your dream holiday doesn’t exist at all!

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To steer clear of sneaky fraudsters, stay alert when presented with offers that seem too good to be true and verify the source. AI-generated itineraries may appear polished, but they often contain subtle inconsistencies. Check for missing or mismatched details and examine the photos closely – AI-generated images can have imperfections like unnatural lighting or blurry areas.

Christoph C. Cemper, founder of AIPRM provides expert comment on identifying AI scams when booking holidays online, as well as what to do if you think you have fallen victim to an AI scam. He said: "I believe that a (false sense) of urgency, no matter how well explained (using Generative AI) is the top red flag for any kind of scams, including those for booking trips and holidays.

"Nowadays, nearly anything can be faked with AI so if it is ‘too’ well written, ‘too’ good to be true in the offer, or ‘too nice’ in pictures, then I would be especially careful. The most common form of AI scam is a phishing ‘offer’, that lures the user into providing their personal or payment details too soon/too early based on vague promises that seem too good to resist.

"Such impulse actions are used to harvest the data as quickly as possible, without much to do once the data is revealed. I know of cases where the legal and police system were busy for months due to an identity theft incident where the victim barely remembers engaging with.

"If you think you have fallen victim to a scam, as painful as it is, any kind of revealed information needs to be rendered useless. You can hardly move to another place, so fake ecommerce orders can still happen, but locking down your credit card is the first and most simple thing to do. Contacting your bank as soon as possible is essential."