You might not think so, but travel scams are more widespread than you think, especially when you plan business trips online. A study by McAfee Corp found that 30% of the respondents asked said they had either been a victim of an online travel fraud or knew someone who had. The same research found that 14% made payments through fraudulent platforms, and 18% experienced identity fraud.
How do travel scams affect those who travel for work?
There are both easy and complex ways to scam someone. Phishing emails and fake booking websites could trick business travelers. One typical approach is to construct a fake website that appears like a trusted site, but the URL is slightly different.
Digital criminals are also good at making fake invoices that appear like they originate from real suppliers. These invoices have a recognizable corporate logo and a registered office.
Some criminals can pretend to be a representative from a corporate travel agency and call your team to ask for payment information for a trip that is coming soon. But your company’s travel policy should make it clear what the rules and budgets are for business travel, as well as which websites and platforms are okay to use. You can prevent these frequent phishing scams by only using reputable, approved sites like Booking.com for Business.
What are the most common frauds that happen to business travelers?
As a business traveler, you might run into several common tourist scams, both online and in person.
Scams involving flights
How to stay away from: You should only buy plane tickets from trusted, legitimate sources, either directly from the airline or via a well-known service.
Websites that pretend to book
There are a lot of bogus websites on the internet that look like real hotel chains, travel companies, and booking aggregators. The only difference between them and the real thing will be a slight adjustment to the URL. For instance, the domain might not be .com; it could be .net or .co instead.
How to not do it: Always check the URL to be sure it is safe by looking for a padlock icon and HTTPS (not just HTTP). Before you book, read reviews on sites like Google that aren’t owned by the company.
Travel agencies that aren’t real
When a business travel agency goes out of business, criminals quickly go for its list of corporate clients. The scammers will send out phishing emails asking for passwords and sensitive booking information. They might also contact or text business travelers to offer them reimbursements for future trips, but only if they first give their company’s bank details and confirm the passwords for the accounts.
How to stay away from it: Check email addresses for mistakes, never accept links or attachments that you didn’t ask for, conjure up, and be careful with emails that are full of grammar mistakes. Always book business trips through trusted sites like Booking.com for Business, and if you get any strange messages, submit them to your company’s IT department so they can look into them.
Scams involving visas and passports
Some digital scammers, like fake booking sites, go for business travelers with sites that say they can produce official travel documentation. These will make it look like they are from the government.
How to stay away from: Your company’s corporate travel planning staff will normally take care of getting you visas and other travel paperwork. They will have the right contact information. If you need to renew your passport, be sure you are on a real government website by carefully looking at the URL. You can also get your papers by calling your embassy or going to the passport office in person.
Fraud with international credit cards
Recent surveys show that one out of every six business travelers has been a victim of a credit card scam. International credit card theft is common, and your card information can be stolen in hotels, restaurants, and other places where you would use a business card.
How to stay away from: Find out if your company offers virtual cards that can only be used once. These are only good for one reservation, so they can’t be used to commit fraud. You might also utilize safe payment apps and digital wallets that already have built-in security protections. Your business can safely send money in the right currency immediately to a company travel card for business expenses using international bank accounts like HSBC, Wise, or Revolut.
Scams in business hotels
If someone offers you a deal on a hotel room that appears too good to be true, it probably is. For example, these kinds of scams that target business travelers will ask you to pay in advance for a block booking, but when you and your colleagues show up, the listing won’t be there. Another hotel scam is to book two rooms at the same time for a real listing.
How to stay away from: Use only trusted sites like Booking.com for Business, and be sure they offer some kind of insurance for travelers. Be careful with listings that don’t have any reviews.
Scams using business taxis
Even though dishonest taxi drivers will still take business travelers where they need to go, they will charge you more than they should. A taxi scam is easy to spot if there isn’t a meter or if the meter seems to change prices at random times.
How to stay away from: Book your firm’s taxi in advance with a trusted company, and always ask for a receipt. If you can’t book ahead of time, seek for taxi stands with official signs and make sure the meter is operating before you leave.
How can I report travel scams?
Don’t allow scammers get away with it. First, look at your company’s travel policy to see who to call for help. It could be a travel coordinator or even the owner of the business.
You could also tell the police about travel scams. Many countries have special task forces that deal with travel fraud.
For instance:
- Businesses in the UK should get in touch with Action Fraud.
- Businesses in the US should get in touch with the FTC.
- Your company’s travel agent should be able to help you figure out what to do and file all the necessary reports.
It’s never fun to fall for a scam, yet it occurs to even the most experienced business travelers. To keep your company’s financial information safe, be careful to tell your trip coordinator and the right authorities as soon as possible.
Step 1: Look at your travel rules
If you don’t have a team leader or travel coordinator with you on the trip, look up your travel policy to find out who to call in case of an emergency. Tell the firm what happened first.
Step 2: Call the cops
It’s a good idea to report even small crimes like a taxi fraud to the police so they have a record of it. A lot of the time, this can be done online. If you’re staying at a business hotel, the concierge can help you make a report and talk to the right local authorities.
Step 3: Get in touch with the finance department at your organization.
If you’ve been a victim of international credit card theft or think your firm’s cards have been hacked online, contact the finance team at your company. After that, they can get in touch with the bank that has the business account. To stop unauthorized or suspicious transactions, banks can also apply extra security to your account.
Do banks give back money that firms were conned out of?
Most of the time, banks will give back money that was stolen. But this depends on the rules and laws of the country where your firm is headquartered. In the UK, for instance, the Payment Service Regulations 2009 say that banks must give back money that was stolen without permission.
If you willingly sent the scammer money with a business credit card, it will be a little harder to get your money back. The payment type, amount, and the bank’s own rules will all play a role.
What are the warning signs of a travel scammer?
A lot of the signs that a tourist fraud is happening are also signs that a business travel scam is happening. If you find yourself in any of the following scenarios, be careful:
- You have to make a rapid decision about your booking.
- A business travel agency calls or emails you out of the blue.
- You don’t get any detailed information on the travel offer.
- They ask you to pay in an unprotected way, like with a wire transfer or cryptocurrencies.
- You get a business email that has mistakes in spelling and grammar.
- If a hotel has premium rooms at very low pricing, it’s probably a scam.
How to avoid being scammed when you travel for work
To avoid fraud, only book your trip through company-approved sites before you leave. To avoid scams, you should also remember the usual cybersecurity advice for businesses:
- Change the passwords on all of your company’s accounts, such as booking sites and reward programs, on a regular basis.
- Make sure that all the travel sites you visit use HTTPS and encryption.
- Set up two-factor authentication for all of the company’s accounts and devices.
- Use virtual payment methods or ones that use tokenization, which replaces card numbers with randomly generated tokens.
Be on the lookout for phishing emails that try to trick you into thinking they are from a legitimate business travel agency. Check and double-check those details. Some of them get through the gaps even if antivirus software and fraud detection tools catch a lot of them.
Here are a few more tips for being safe while traveling for work:
There are more and more credit card scams; therefore, it’s best to use company-approved travel cards instead of your own credit card for spending. Corporate credit cards have security features that are standard in the business, such as real-time transaction alerts. This helps finance staff keep an eye on any suspicious card activity while you’re away.
Use apps that are safe for payments
When you pay for flights and hotels, payment apps use modern encryption and AI to help find fraud and keep your financial information safe. You might use digital wallets like Apple Pay to keep your company’s credit cards and boarding tickets safe in a virtual area where thieves can’t get to them.
Use single-use virtual cards to pay for reservations
Businesses can even limit purchases to certain sorts of spending and merchant categories. This implies that scammers won’t be able to use the company’s payment information for anything other than permitted charges.
Don’t log into private company accounts in public places
Get help from your employees before and during your trip
- People to call in case of an emergency
- Steps to be safe
- Policies for business travel insurance
- Information on safe payment methods that have been approved
- Keep a digital copy of this close by so you can get help on the road.
Make all of your business travel reservations in one place.
Using a reliable, well-known booking site is one of the best strategies to avoid travel frauds. Booking.com and Expedia are travel platforms that help you book hotels, flights, and corporate vehicle rentals all in one place.
The more agents and websites you use to schedule business travel, the more likely you are to make a fake reservation. You can better manage every part of business travel and avoid scams by putting all of your planning in one place so you can keep an eye on it more easily.
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