Booking a trip in 2026 means watching your inbox fill up with a strange mix of receipts, hotel reminders, password resets and at least one email vaguely insisting something is wrong.
That last one might not actually be from the hotel.
A new report from cybersecurity company McAfee found that fake booking confirmations and travel updates are among the travel scams Americans say they’re most likely to fall for ahead of summer vacation season. The messages can look surprisingly real, sometimes copying the exact logos and layouts of airlines, hotels and booking sites. Common examples include:
- A “your reservation needs verification” email
- A text claiming your flight time or gate just changed
- A hotel notice saying your payment failed
- A warning that your booking will be canceled in minutes if you don’t “act now”
The goal is simple. Panic the traveler just enough to make them click first and think later.
According to the report, 38% of travelers say they’ve encountered a travel-related scam, and 41% of those people took a financial hit, with nearly half losing more than $500.
It’s not a coincidence either. Millions of Americans are packing for flights, road trips, cruises and long weekends as Memorial Day weekend travel is expected to hit record levels this year.
McAfee also found that 41% of travelers trust messages that appear to come from airlines or hotels without double-checking them first. The safest move? Never click directly from the message itself, even if it looks legitimate. Instead, open the airline, hotel or booking app separately and check the reservation there. If something is actually wrong, it’ll usually show up inside the official account too.
And whatever you do, don’t impulse-Google a customer service number. Scammers sometimes create fake support lines designed to collect payment information from stressed-out travelers trying to fix a problem quickly. Basically, if a travel message suddenly makes your heart rate spike, that’s the moment to slow down.
A real airline might delay your flight. A scammer wants you to panic before you notice the email address ends in something bizarre like “support-air-help247.net.”
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Sources:
- Business Wire: “McAfee Research Finds 1 in 3 Travelers Have Faced a Travel Scam as Rising Costs Create New Opportunities for Fraud”
- Federal Trade Commission: “How are scammers trying to reach you?”
- AAA Newsroom: “45 Million Americans Planning Memorial Day Weekend Getaways”
- Better Business Bureau: “Vacation Rental Booking Scams”
The post The Sneaky Summer Travel Scam Hitting Inboxes Right Before Memorial Day appeared first on Reader's Digest.
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