Tulyaks reminded of new schemes of fraudsters before New Year trips abroad

Residents of the Tula region planning New Year travel abroad, cybersecurity experts are reminded of the need for increased vigilance when organizing trips.

Alexander Vurasko, Director of the Development Center for Monitoring External Digital Threats at Solar AURA, warned that fraudsters using new schemes to defraud tourists are intensifying before the holidays. Attackers send out offers for cheap tickets and tours, notifications about alleged problems with bookings, as well as fake messages from document processing services. One of the common schemes were announcements about the sale of air tickets, hotels and vouchers at a very low cost marked “last option” – the link leads to a website copy of the airline or travel agency.

Fraudsters can also report problems when paying, canceling a booking, or changing departure times, requiring an extra amount to “fix” the situation. Haste is used specifically so that a person does not have time to check the information. Of particular risk are sites that mimic visa or travel eSIM services, as well as QR codes that may appear on hotel check-in desks. Through them, criminals are able to steal money, passport data and phone numbers.