# Scams and phishing aimed at travellers

> Fake invitations, booking links, hotel Wi-Fi and urgent payment requests target business travellers. The warning signs and where to report.

- Category: Good to know
- For: business professionals travelling or relocating for work
- Verified on: 2026-10-20
- Source: [National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, India](https://cybercrime.gov.in/)
- Page: https://travelsorted.grihaam.online/resources/scams-and-phishing-aimed-at-business-travellers

## The short answer

Business travellers are targeted because they are busy, carry valuable devices, use unfamiliar networks and often act on urgent messages. The rule is simple: **if a message is urgent, secret, threatening or asks you to pay in an unusual way, stop and check using a channel you already trust**, not the contact details in the message. Never pay or share a code under pressure. Report suspicious messages to your employer's IT or security team.

## Common scams aimed at business travellers

- **Fake visa or immigration agents.** Someone promises approval for a fee, or asks you to pay into a personal account. No one can guarantee a visa.
- **Phishing booking and hotel messages.** A message about a "problem with your booking" links to a lookalike site to collect card details.
- **Urgent payment or invoice requests.** An email that appears to come from a manager or supplier asks for an immediate transfer or a change to bank details.
- **Fake Wi-Fi and charging points.** An open network with a plausible name, or a public USB charger, is used to capture data.
- **Taxi and arrivals-hall touts.** Unsolicited offers, unlicensed cars or inflated fares.
- **Fake fines or customs fees.** A call or text says you owe a payment to avoid a problem.
- **Fake invitations and conference organisers.** A sponsorship or registration fee for an event that does not exist.

## What to do instead

1. **Do not click or reply.** Go to the company's or authority's official website yourself.
2. **Use a second channel.** Phone a manager or supplier on a number you already have before you change bank details or pay.
3. **Confirm bookings in the app or account** you created, not through a link.
4. **Use your own mobile data** for sensitive tasks, or a trusted VPN, instead of open Wi-Fi.
5. **Use your own charger and power bank.**
6. **Turn on multi-factor authentication** and never share codes.

## If you have been caught out

Contact your bank at once to try to stop a payment, tell your employer's security team, change passwords from a clean device and keep evidence such as messages and screenshots. Report it to the authorities.

## Checklist

- [ ] Employer's security and reporting contacts saved offline
- [ ] Multi-factor authentication switched on for work and banking
- [ ] Devices updated before you travel
- [ ] Official bookings confirmed in the app or account, not via links
- [ ] A rule agreed for payment changes: always confirm on a second channel
- [ ] Own charger and power bank packed
- [ ] Taxi pre-booked with a licensed operator
- [ ] Reporting routes known for your home and destination countries

## Common mistakes

- **Trusting caller ID or a familiar logo.** Both can be faked.
- **Acting on a message from a "boss" without checking.** This is a common fraud.
- **Joining the first Wi-Fi that works.** Confirm the name with the venue.
- **Paying an agent who guarantees a result.** It is a red flag.
- **Not reporting.** Quick reports help to limit damage.

## Things that change

Scams change constantly and reporting channels are updated. Use each authority's current page.

## Verify before you act

In India, report cyber fraud on the [National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal](https://cybercrime.gov.in/). For examples of official advice, see the UK [NCSC guidance on phishing scams](https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams), the [Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm) and the German [BSI for consumers](https://www.bsi.bund.de/EN/Themen/Verbraucherinnen-und-Verbraucher/verbraucherinnen-und-verbraucher_node.html).

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