Travel scam guide

Travel booking fraud

Travel booking fraud uses fake agencies, copied hotel pages, unrealistic package prices, fake tickets, and cancellation/refund traps. Always verify booking references with the official provider.

Risk signal

Booking fake

Severity

medium

Group

Travel

Common identifiers

Add identifiers that can be matched safely across reports, profiles, payments, and evidence without exposing unnecessary private data.

01

Agency phone

Use the exact agency phone shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

02

Booking reference

Use the exact booking reference shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

03

Website

Use the exact website shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

04

UPI ID

Use the exact upi id shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

Evidence to preserve

Keep proof in original form where possible. Screenshots help, but transaction IDs, URLs, timestamps, and chat context make moderation stronger.

01

Itinerary

Capture itinerary with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

02

Ticket PDF

Capture ticket pdf with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

03

Payment proof

Capture payment proof with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

04

Agency messages

Capture agency messages with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

First response

These steps reduce further loss and keep your report useful for review, banking escalation, platform reporting, and official complaints.

01

Verify with airline/hotel

Do this early: verify with airline/hotel helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

02

Avoid unofficial payment links

Do this early: avoid unofficial payment links helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

03

Report fake agency

Do this early: report fake agency helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

Urgent money loss

If money was recently transferred, call 1930 first and raise a bank or payment-app dispute. Speed matters for fund-freeze attempts.

Privacy boundary

Do not upload OTPs, passwords, full card numbers, full Aadhaar, private documents, or unrelated intimate media. Use masked, relevant evidence whenever possible.

Related categories

Similar fraud patterns