With the unofficial start to the summer travel season now underway, that dream vacation can turn into a nightmare if you're not careful.
Scammers are creating fake websites and listings that look real. Artificial intelligence is making it even easier for fraudsters to create convincing fakes.
Before you book here's how to make sure that website you're on is the real deal.
Fake booking sites
Scammers are known to impersonate legitimate booking sites trying to take advantage of eager travelers looking to score a deal.
A scam impersonation site might have slight misspellings or extra words in the URL, like this example flagged by AARP, Airbnb24hours.com.
Airbnb warns scammers might also use emails that closely mirror the real deal with addresses ending in @bnb.com or @reservation-airbnb.com. The fake emails often have links to sites impersonating Airbnb.
Any time you're using your credit card online, be sure you're only inputting that information into a site you know is secure.
To confirm a website is secure, look for an "https" URL, and a padlock icon in the browser's address bar. That indicates the website uses encryption to protect data transmission between your browser and the server, making it more difficult for others to intercept information.
Document renewal scams
It's not just booking sites. The Better Business Bureau warns consumers unaware of the passport renewal process can fall victim to scammers, too.
Websites impersonating the U.S. Department of State offer help with international travel visas and passports but charge high fees and try to get you to enter your personal information. The website may even be listed as "sponsored," according to the BBB, and might say you need to fill out certain forms and submit a processing payment.
Bu you should not have to pay a fee to fill out the required forms for a passport renewal – you'll only need to pay for the renewal itself. You can check the costs of passport fees in advance.
It's always best to go directly to the website you need, in this case travel.state.gov. Experts say don't rely on a Google search for "how to renew my passport," or similar to get you to the right place.
An official government website like IRS will always end in .gov. A site purporting to be the IRS ending in .org, .com, or anything else should be a red flag. Fake impersonation sites are trying to con you out of money and personal information.
Similarly scammers are also targeting travelers trying to enroll or renew their TSA Pre Check. Fraudsters use fake emails or texts to get you to a website mimicking the official TSA site. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns to never click links in unexpected emails or text messages, no matter how real they look and to not be rushed. If someone insists you pay right away, chances are good it's a scam.
Do you have a money question, a consumer issue, or a scam story you want to share? Email InYourCorner@cbs.com.
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Joshua Sidorowicz
Josh Sidorowicz is an investigative reporter specializing in consumer issues and misinformation at CBS News Philadelphia.