Jul 5, 2026
If that inconceivably low-cost or disproportionately discounted flight feels too good to be true, it might be. Extra-cheap travel could end up costing you that extra and then some if you’ve fallen victim to an increasingly common cyber scam: fake flights.
More than half of Americans (57%) plan to fly for summer trips, which is up from last year, according to Deloitte’s 2026 summer travel survey. And they’re spending more than ever on premium airfare purchases, including first-class seats on direct flights and prioritizing (and paying for) convenience.
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In fact, more than 120 million travelers plan to spend over $475 billion on flights and lodging this summer, according to NerdWallet — even as airfare is notoriously high, up 26.7% over the past year.
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But new research from cybersecurity firm Check Point shows that scammers are also busy at work, as travelers are increasingly desperate for deals and discounts.
May alone saw 2,291 attempted cyberattacks per travel organization each week — a 24% increase from the same month last year. And attacks are increasingly aimed at everyday travelers as well through fake flight-booking websites that mimic trusted travel brands like Skyscanner and Expedia.
Through imposter flight-booking sites, cyberscammers steal travelers’ login credentials, personal data and payment information.
Fake flight-booking websites are multiplying
Check Point researchers found that 47,318 new travel-related web domains were registered in May, up 33% from April 2026 and 19% from May 2025. Even more concerning, one out of every 112 newly registered travel domains has already been identified as malicious or suspicious, and many others are likely to remain dormant until summer traffic peaks.
The researchers have uncovered countless coordinated campaigns — “a saturation strategy aimed at flooding multiple web domains with lookalike sites to increase the chances of intercepting travelers, no matter what they type into a browser.”
The result: hundreds of nearly identical booking websites and sophisticated phishing pages.
Some fake Skyscanner sites, for example, are designed to capture usernames, passwords and credit card information. They advertise deeply discounted flights that disappear after travelers pay.
“This is not a general uptick in cyber crime that happens to touch travel,” Check Point said in its findings. “It is a deliberate, seasonal intensification targeting an industry that processes enormous volumes of personal and financial data precisely when people are distracted, rushing and eager to secure a good deal.”
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The scams work because they exploit travelers’ sense of urgency. Limited-time offers, countdown timers and “only one seat left” messaging encourage travelers to book before taking a closer look at what, exactly, they’re booking.
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How to avoid losing your vacation budget over a fake flight
Nearly half (47%) of Americans plan to tap into their savings for their summer travel, according to a recent US News survey — and 19% acknowledge that they will go into some kind of debt in order to take a trip.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that Americans reported losing about $16 billion to fraud in 2025, nearly $1 billion of which was lost to business impersonators. Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received reports totaling $20.9 billion in internet crime losses last year — including travel scams — though officials suggest the true figures are likely much higher since many scams go unreported.
Here’s how to spot scams before cybercriminals collect your summer flights fund.
Check the web address
Scammers often buy online ads that appear above legitimate search results or create websites with addresses that differ from the real airline by only a letter or two. Double-check the URL for subtle misspellings or unusual domain names or domain extensions.
While “.com” is the most common domain extension (it makes up nearly half of all registered websites globally, according to Wix), many mimicking scam sites still use it. So don’t trust a website just because it uses “.com” instead of “.top,” “.shop” or “.xyz,” which are often flagged by threat intelligence organizations as hotspots for cybercrime.
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Better yet, if you know it, type an airline’s website directly into your browser’s URL box instead of clicking on ads or promotional links in search engines. Most airlines also have mobile apps through which you can set up a personal account and safely book flights.
Pay for flights with a credit card
Scammers may pressure customers to pay by wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment apps, gift cards or even cryptocurrency — payment methods that are difficult or impossible to reverse. Avoid paying with these methods.
Use a credit card whenever possible, since they generally offer stronger fraud protection than debit cards. In fact, under the Fair Credit Billing Act, reporting a loss or theft before charges are even made means you have zero liability — regardless of how much the scammer eventually bills.
Many travel credit cards, in particular, offer protection specifically against fraudulent travel-related transactions and unauthorized charges via zero-liability policies, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Do your research
If a flight is dramatically cheaper than everywhere else you’ve looked, treat it as a red flag rather than a golden opportunity. Many popular booking sites like Skyscanner, Kayak, Expedia and more offer an option to compare prices against other platforms.
If you’re booking over the phone instead of online, make sure to cross-check the number you’re dialing, as well. Sometimes scam sites and even fake Google Ads will share a fraudulent “customer support contact number,” and a scammer on the other end will ask for your payment details over the phone, leaving no written trace of the transaction … and, likely, no flight.
Be cautious of unsolicited communications
Travelers should also be wary of unsolicited texts, emails or phone calls claiming your flight has been canceled, delayed or upgraded, or offering an exclusive airfare deal. Rather than clicking a link or calling the number provided, log into your airline account or contact the carrier directly using its official website or app.
In some cases, scammers actually do book the ticket change or upgrade they promise, making the transaction appear legitimate (and helping cybercriminals continue to get away with these scams at scale) — but they often use stolen payment methods or charge victims hundreds of dollars more than the airline would have. That can leave travelers overpaying for a service they easily could have booked for far less themselves, or even facing canceled reservations later if fraudulent payments are reversed.
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AnnaMarie is a weekend editor for Moneywise.
