Travelers Beware: Booking.com Warns of Increases in AI-Enabled Travel Scams
In an interview at the Collision technology conference in Toronto, Booking.com’s CISO sounds the alarm on what she calls “supercharged artificial intelligence (AI) scams.”
Many are looking at possible summer getaways to take. So, you go online looking for a great travel deal and find yourself on a very credible travel website.
That city you’d like to stay in only has very pricey hotels. But this website has the very same hotels at a massive discount.
Sound too good to be true?
According to Marnie Wilking, Chief Information Security Officer at Booking.com – it is.
In a recent informal interview, Wilking points out the use of AI specifically in travel-related scams. Because of the nature of booking travel including the providing of credit card and personal details, it’s a natural fit for scammers.
And AI is playing a role in increasing the reach and believability of these scams. “The attackers are definitely using AI to launch attacks that mimic emails far better than anything that they’ve done to date,” Wilking said. Additionally, the use of AI to generate email content in multiple languages with credible grammar puts businesses at risk; Wilking’s called it “really taking advantage of the helpful nature of hospitality.”
Visiting only reputable travel sites is the first and likely only really impactful recommendation. With generative AI in play, it’s possible to build websites, generate content, collect payments, and more – all looking like a legitimate business.
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