Travelers are facing a new wave of scams disguised as airlines, hotels and ride-hailing apps
Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting travelers by impersonating popular airlines, ride-hailing services and accommodation platforms, as more people rely on digital services to plan and book their trips.
New research by Kaspersky found that its security solutions detected nearly 270,000 cyberattack attempts disguised as trusted travel brands between the second quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. The findings showed that attackers are exploiting the urgency and trust associated with online travel bookings to steal sensitive financial and personal information.
Transport brands accounted for the vast majority of the attacks. Kaspersky recorded 262,663 detections linked to airlines and transport services, with Emirates accounting for 61% of the incidents and Uber representing 37%. According to the company, criminals are concentrating on globally recognized brands with large customer bases and frequent payment activity.
The study also found that Trojans were the most common type of malware used in the attacks, making up 30.5% of all detections. Banking Trojans, designed to steal online banking credentials and payment information, accounted for another 22.5%, indicating that many of the campaigns are aimed at accessing victims’ bank accounts rather than simply disrupting travel plans.
One of the scams uncovered involved a fake Ryanair compensation offer that claimed passengers were eligible for a refund. To create a sense of urgency, victims were told they had only seconds to claim the money by entering their account details or paying a small processing fee before the offer expired. Researchers emphasized that legitimate airlines do not ask customers to pay upfront fees when processing compensation claims.
Travel booking platforms were also targeted with Kaspersky detecting 5,414 attack attempts disguised as accommodation and travel service brands. One example involved fake Booking.com payment pages that closely mimicked the legitimate website, tricking users into submitting payment details for reservations that never existed.
To stay protected, Kaspersky advises travelers to book only through official websites and mobile apps, verify website addresses before making payments, avoid offers that appear too good to be true, and enable multi-factor authentication on travel accounts.
Furthermore, travelers are also encouraged to monitor their bank statements for suspicious transactions, download apps only from official app stores, and use a VPN when accessing travel services over public Wi-Fi.
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