Following an air traffic control software glitch that has resulted in cancelled flights across Europe, an online security expert from McAfee is warning holidaymakers to be on the lookout for scams.
Scammers often capitalise on situations like this – we saw it last year with the Crowdstrike outage – to conduct phishing attacks on people looking to reschedule delayed or cancelled flights.
With summer holidays underway, consumers are urged to remain alert to protect their personal information and ensure their data remains secure, especially with recent research from McAfee revealing 1 in 5 Brits have fallen victim to a travel-related scam.
Vonny Gamot, Head of EMEA at online protection company McAfee, said: “Unfortunately scammers often take advantage of situations like this, creating fake text and email messages that appear to offer help to passengers with rescheduling flights or seeking compensation. We are urging everyone to remain vigilant to ensure they protect their personal information and money.”
- Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Communications: “Always be cautious of unsolicited messages that ask for personal information or urge you to act quickly. Avoid clicking on suspicious links and directly verify any requests for personal information or payments.”
- Avoid Unconventional Money Transfers: “Be cautious if asked to transfer money to an unknown account, buy gift cards or share card numbers and PINs. These are often signs of a scam.”
- Monitor your accounts: “Regularly check your bank and other sensitive accounts for any unauthorised transactions. Immediately report any suspicious activity.”
- Verify the Source: “If you receive a suspicious call or message, verify the caller’s identity. Be aware of tools like voice cloning that make calls appear legitimate. If in doubt, hang up and contact the company, or source directly.”
- Secure Your Information: “Use strong, unique passwords for all your accounts and consider a password manager to keep them safe. Enabling multi-factor authentication can also help increase security.”
- Use AI-Powered Scam Detection: “Consider using AI-powered tools to keep you safe from scams. McAfee’s Scam Detector catches and alerts you to text, email and deepfake video scams, automatically and in real-time, before they can cause harm.”