Click Here to See the Committee’s New Bipartisan Scam Alert

WASHINGTON –  U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, Committee Chairman David Schweikert (R-AZ), Committee Vice Chairman Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Committee Senior House Democrat Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued a bipartisan alert to consumers about the risk of travel scams ahead of the holiday travel season, which is expected to be the busiest ever. Travel scams, which cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year, have been rapidly increasing; they spiked by almost 30 percent during the 2024 holiday season. In the new alert, the Joint Economic Committee leaders call attention to the increasing scope and scale of travel scams during the holiday season and provide consumers with practical tips on how to spot and protect themselves from scams.

“While the winter holidays are one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, they’re also one of the busiest seasons for scammers impersonating airlines, hotels, and rental platforms,” said Ranking Member Hassan. “As millions of Americans prepare to travel to see their loved ones over the next few weeks, everyone should also prepare to protect themselves against rampant travel scams.”

“Criminal enterprises across the world are using cyberspace to prey on American consumers, and unfortunately, they target the holidays as an opportune time to steal your hard-earned money,” said Chairman Schweikert. “This holiday season, as millions of Americans, including seniors, take to the internet to purchase gifts, make travel plans, and send online payments, please be vigilant. Don’t click on links you don’t know or visit third-party sites that obscure who is handling your money, and ensure when you are making purchases you are using a reputable site preferably run by the airline, hotel, or other known companies.”

“The best way to celebrate the holidays is with friends, families, gifts, and good food — not worrying about travel scams. With more than 50 percent of Americans planning to travel this holiday season, make sure you are aware of travel-related scams, which often include scammers creating fake websites to impersonate airlines, hotels, and rental companies to try and steal your money and identity. Always make sure to use official websites and apps when booking flights, hotels, or rentals. Staying vigilant will let you focus of the joy of the holiday season with your loved ones in peace,” said Vice Chairman Schmitt.

“Scammers are always looking to prey on unsuspecting travelers, especially at the holidays. Their schemes grow more technologically sophisticated every year. Awareness, vigilance, and diligence are essential to avoid scams and make sure you spend as much of your holiday as possible focused on family, not on costly, stressful interactions with would-be thieves,” said Senior House Democrat Beyer.

“During the holiday season, the number of scam attacks surges around the world, and the U.S. is no exception. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance applauds this bipartisan initiative of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee to alert consumers to the augmented risks and to the methods used by scam criminals. Remember, urgency is the number one social engineering tactic used by scammers during the holidays, so resist any efforts to pressure you to pay for holiday travel immediately or via unusual payment methods,” said Nils Mueller, Director of the North America Chapter of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance.

“Criminals are persistent during the holiday season, targeting travelers with scams involving fraudulent car rentals, airline tickets, hotel reservations, and more. Recognizing these schemes is an important step toward protecting millions of Americans and safeguarding billions of dollars,” said Kathy Stokes, AARP Senior Director of Fraud Prevention, AARP Fraud Watch Network.

This travel scams alert is part of Senator Hassan’s ongoing comprehensive efforts to address the soaring rates of scams, which accounted for $1 trillion in losses globally last year and now surpass the drug trade as an illicit industry. Last month, Senator Hassan released a holiday shopping scams alert, which members of the public can read here. 

Read the Committee’s holiday travel scams alert here. 

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