{
  "id": 329119,
  "title": "Travelling soon? Scammers are impersonating booking sites to steal your money",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/travelling-soon-scammers-are-impersonating-booking-sites-to-steal",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-08T23:59:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism/travelling-soon-scammers-are-impersonating-booking-sites-to-steal-your-money-1.500633770"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cybercriminals are increasingly impersonating travel brands to steal money from travellers, with Kaspersky detecting nearly 270,000 attack attempts in a 12-month period. Attacks using Emirates' branding accounted for 61% of transport-related detections, while Uber was targeted 37% of the time. The threat comes from various tactics, including phishing pages, fake applications, and fraudulent offers. Banking details are the main target, as Trojan malware, which aims to steal credentials and payment information, made up 30.5% of the detected threats. Some scammers even offered fake compensation to travellers, requiring them to enter account details or pay a fee. Fake hotel bookings were also a risk, with 5,414 attack attempts detected involving travel and accommodation service brands. To stay safe, travellers should book directly through official websites or apps, beware of deals that require immediate payment, use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication, monitor bank statements, and verify website addresses before entering payment information.",
  "summary": "Dubai: Travellers booking flights, rides and hotels are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals impersonating familiar travel brands, with nearly 270,000 attack attempts detected by Kaspersky over a 12-month period. The cybersecurity company recorded 262,663 detections linked to attacks masquerading as major transport brands…",
  "key_points": [
    "Cybercriminals impersonate travel brands to steal money from travellers",
    "Emirates brand targeted in 61% of transport-related attacks",
    "Banking details main target, Trojan malware used in 30.5% of threats"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Travellers face heightened risk of financial theft as scammers increasingly impersonate travel brands, targeting banking details through various tactics including phishing and fake applications.",
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/329119.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}