As the holiday season approaches, cybercriminals are all too happy to sell you fake travel deals. They’ll set up fake websites, post fake ads on legitimate websites, create fake reservations and use other clever methods to capture credit card or other personal information from unsuspecting buyers. These scams often involve fake deals or online giveaways and surveys that claim to offer excellent tickets for surprisingly low prices, only to catch victims off guard when they arrive at the airport or train station to find the ticket they paid for does not exist.

According to a recent report by McAfee Corp, “The research reveals 30% of adults have fallen victim or know someone who has fallen victim to an online scam while trying to save money when booking travel.” And while it can be difficult to distinguish between a genuine or fake website, as hackers are becoming experts at tricking organization security monitoring tools and using secure protocols such as https, there are ways to avoid becoming a victim.

When booking travel be wary of suspiciously low prices when searching online for travel tickets, check the spelling of a website’s URL to ensure it is correct, book tickets using the travel company’s official website, and use third-party digital wallets (such as PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay) for purchases as they may reduce the chances of your payment information being stolen.

Check out other tips for traveling safe this holiday season from the UD Information Security team on the Secure UD Threat blog.