As the months of June and July creep in, so do the scammers hoping to take advantage of happy vacationers. Everyone is looking for a travel deal and scammers often present searchers with “too-good-to-be-true” packages in an effort to scam. According to the Safer Summer Travel Report, 25% of Americans have been impacted by travel scams and this trend is only being worsened as AI use increases. AI technology allows scammers to make scam implementation faster, more effective, and more believable. Tiffany Sylvester was one of the thousands of people that almost fall victim to such scam’s each year and her experience brings with it many lessons.

Tiffany’s Ticket Turbulence

In April, Eyewitness News reported that Tiffany and her friends were planning to head down to Nashville to celebrate her upcoming wedding. It was an incredibly happy time for Tiffany and she couldn’t be more excited for this once in a lifetime vacation opportunity. The only qualm was the fact that she knew this trip would be an expensive one.

After searching and searching for an affordable ticket she found what she perceived to be a discount plane ticket website. However, unbeknownst to her, the site was a fake one that just had a similar name to a large well-known airline company. She ended up going through with the purchases and the 7 tickets were bought. The deal was sealed, or so she thought. After purchase, Tiffany received confirmation for both of the tickets. Nothing seemed wrong until the next morning when Tiffany’s father received a call saying that the departure flights for the tickets were no longer available.

The caller claimed that in order to book the return flights, Tiffany would need to cough up more money and they even told Tiffany she should rebook and repay for all of the flights. While this situation was new to Tiffany, it is a scam that the Better Business Bureau knows about all too well. According to the BBB Scam Tracker, there has been a strong uptick in reports from people across the country getting calls about a “sudden price increase or an extra charge to finalize a booking” for a flight.

How To Secure Your Summer Travel

While everyone wants to get away on a relaxing vacation for a great price, it’s important to not let the excitement get in the way of staying safe from scams like the one that victimized Tiffany. So here are some easy ways to stay safe while securing summer travel.

1. Research: Always research the travel deals or companies before making any bookings. Check reviews, ratings, and complaints from other travelers as if a website is a scam other people who have been impacted by it have likely spoken out against it in the past.

2. Use Trusted Websites: Stick to reputable travel booking websites or directly book through the official website of the airline, hotel, or tour operator to ensure that any tickets or packages you get are legit and trustworthy.

3. Beware of Too-Good-to-Be-True Deals: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers often use incredibly low prices to lure unsuspecting travelers and it can often be a sign that the website is not real or travel package is fake.

4. Double-Check URLs and Emails: Scammers often create fake websites and emails that look similar to legitimate ones in order to make scams happen. It’s important to double-check URLs for typos or strange domains, and analyze emails for any grammar mistakes as trustworthy company’s are less likely to have such issues.

5. Secure Payment Methods: Use secure payment methods such as credit cards when booking travel and it is best to avoid wire transfers or payment methods that offer no recourse if something goes wrong. Above all, an escrow-based payment solution like MidPay offers the most security and trustworthiness with transactions like online ticket resale.

Why MidPay is the Solution

MidPay is an escrow-based transaction service meant to simplify transactions and protect your funds. By using an escrow protocol, MidPay ensures that your funds are never actually sent until all conditions of the transaction are met. The app is also able to help prevent travel fraud in the first place since sellers of tickets or travel packages know they won’t receive the funds until they fulfill their part of the deal, incentivizing honest transactions. Further, if any disputes occur MidPay’s resolution process ensures fair outcomes for everyone involved. Finally, transparency and trust are integral to any transaction and MidPay’s processes promote both things to make online transactions safer and more reliable. So the next time you buy the flights and hotels for your next amazing vacation, you can rest more assured that your funds are safe.

Download MidPay on the App Store today!