As we enter the first month of summer and memories of the pandemic gradually recede, many of our readers are no doubt excitedly planning vacations. The bad news is that scammers are also excitedly planning: travel scams, to be precise. Following last week’s Airbnb scams, here’s what we’ve found this week. . .

Sundara Inn & Spa

Sundara Inn & Spa is a famous and much-loved hotel in the state of Wisconsin. That makes it a prime target for travel scammers. Netizens have reported being tricked by fake web pages designed to look like the legitimate hotel website. Have a guess which of these is the real one:

Only the first is the legitimate website — no matter how convincing the second might seem. Booking a stay on this fake page will not only leave you empty-handed, but probably leave you out of money too! Note that the real one is called “sundaraspa” while the fake has had to opt for “sundarainnspa”. If you’re looking to book a stay, the best thing you can do is use Google and enter the website directly.

Airbnb and Booking.com

Given that Airbnb and Booking.com are the most famous accommodation booking sites in the world, it’s no surprise that there are countless fake phishing pages appearing every week. The following are some new URLs to watch out for:

• airbnb-70aba[.]firebaseapp[.]com:80
• airbnb[.]offer3821ap3821host48219[.]com:80
• booking[.]com-r5s8p9pv003qzdwfm8n5[.]searchrentals[.]co:80
• airbnb007[.]netlify[.]app:443
• airbnb[.]de-objekt-748319815[.]de:443

And for good measure, some worryingly convincing fake web pages:

As we’ve stated before, these fake sites are essentially designed to steal your banking credentials. Beyond simply stealing your money, scammers can also use these details to commit other cybercrimes such as identity theft!

How to Protect Yourself

• Choose reliable booking platforms. Do your homework and search for reviews and complaints about the travel website/agency.
• Take a closer look at a website’s web address — is it legitimate?
• NEVER click links or attachments from unknown sources. Use Trend Micro ScamCheck to combat scams with ease! (It’s 100% FREE.)

ScamCheck is a browser extension for detecting scams, phishing attacks, malware, and dangerous links — and it’s FREE!

Stay safe and enjoy your trip — don’t let scammers ruin the vacation! As ever, if you’ve found this article an interesting and/or helpful read, please do SHARE with friends and family to help keep the online community secure and protected.