Business travelers are often targeted by scammers. Click here for our business travel safety advice.
It’s important to be careful as a tourist – but travel scams also target business travelers. Thanks to high-limit corporate credit cards and mass bookings, business travelers are a lucrative target for scammers.
From international credit card fraud to flight scams, the key to avoiding these issues is learning to recognize them. We rounded up the latest travel safety advice to help you spot red flags both in the office and abroad.
As online fraud becomes increasingly sophisticated—particularly with the use of AI in phishing scams—small businesses are frequent targets. In fact, a UK Finance study found that small businesses in the UK alone lost $73.6 million to fraud in 2021 – up 35% from 2020. The survey also found that 80% of small businesses have received unsolicited requests for personal details and money.
Travel scams are more common than you might think, especially when booking business travel online. According to a McAfee Corp study, 30% of adults surveyed reported either having fallen victim to an online travel scam or knowing someone who had. The same research found that 14% made payments through fraudulent platforms, and 18% experienced identity fraud.
Scams range from simple to sophisticated. Business travelers might be tricked by phishing emails or fraudulent booking websites. A common trick is to make a spoof website that looks like a trusted platform, but with tiny changes to the URL.
Digital scammers are also skilled at creating invoices that look like they come from legitimate suppliers and include a recognizable company logo and registered office.
Some criminals may call your team pretending to be a business travel agency representative to request payment details for an upcoming trip. Your company’s travel policy should clearly outline the rules and budgets for business travel, including approved websites and platforms. By sticking to approved, trusted platforms like Booking.com for Business, you’ll be able to avoid these common phishing scams.
Here are a few scams you may encounter as a business traveler, both online and off.
Besides phishing emails requesting payment for international flights, a common type of flight scam preys on those booking last-minute travel. For example, this could involve selling plane tickets purchased with stolen credit cards to business travelers. When you arrive at the airport, you find out the booking has been canceled.
How to avoid this: Only purchase airline tickets through legitimate, trusted sites – either directly from the airline or a reputable platform like Booking.com for Business.
The Internet is full of fake websites designed to resemble legitimate hotel chains, travel agencies, and booking aggregators. They look almost identical to the real thing, with only a small change to the URL – for example, the domain may be “.net” or “.co” instead of “.com.”
How to avoid this: Always verify the URL by making sure it has a padlock icon and includes HTTPS (not just HTTP). Read online reviews from third-party platforms like Google before booking.
When business travel agencies go bankrupt, scammers rush in to target their roster of corporate clients. They send out phishing emails requesting sensitive booking details and passwords. They may also call or text business travelers offering refunds for upcoming travel if you send your company’s bank info and confirm account passwords.
How to avoid this: Verify email addresses for inconsistencies, never open unsolicited links or attachments, and watch out for emails full of grammatical errors. Always use dedicated business travel platforms with verified credentials such as Booking.com for Business, and report any suspicious communications to your company’s IT department.
As with fraudulent booking websites, some digital scammers target business travelers claiming to issue official travel documents. These sites will spoof official government sources.
How to avoid this: Visas and travel documents will usually be arranged by your company’s corporate travel planning team, who will have the correct contact info. If you need to renew your own passport, look at the URL carefully to make sure you’re on a legitimate government website. You can also contact your embassy or visit the passport office in person to receive your documents.
According to recent surveys, one in six business travelers has fallen for credit card scams. International credit card fraud is common, with card details exposed through non-secure hotels, restaurants, and other venues where you’re likely to use a corporate card.
How to avoid this: Ask if your company provides single-use virtual cards. These are valid for a single reservation, preventing fraudulent use. Another option is to use secure payment apps and digital wallets that come with built-in digital security features. With international bank accounts through HSBC, Wise, or Revolut, your company can securely transfer money in the correct currency directly to a company travel card for business expenses.
If you’re offered a deal on a hotel room that seems too good to be true, it probably is. These scams target business travelers by requesting payment in advance for a block booking, only for you and your team to show up and realize the listing doesn’t exist. Other hotel scams involve double-booking a legitimate listing.
How to avoid this: Only use trusted platforms like Booking.com for Business, and make sure they offer some form of traveler protection. Watch out for listings with no reviews.
Some taxi drivers will take business travelers where they need to go but then overcharge them for the ride. Common signs of a taxi scam include lack of a meter, or a meter with unpredictable price jumps.
How to avoid this: Pre-book your company taxi through a reputable company, and always ask for a receipt. If you can’t pre-book, look for taxi stands with official signage and make sure the meter is working before you depart.
Don’t let scammers go unchecked. First, check your company’s travel policy to find out whom to contact for help (e.g. a dedicated travel coordinator or business owner).
Travel scams should also be reported to the police – many countries have task forces specifically dedicated to tackling travel fraud.
For example:
Your company travel representative should be able to help with determining the best course of action and completing all relevant reports.
Even the savviest business traveler can fall for a scam. Make sure you report it to your travel coordinator and the proper authorities as quickly as possible to protect your company’s financial information.
If you don’t have a team leader or travel coordinator accompanying you on the trip, check your travel policy for emergency contact details. Let the company know what happened first.
Even for petty crime like a taxi scam, it’s worth filing a report with the local authorities. This can often be done online. If you’re staying at a business hotel, the concierge can help you file a report and speak to relevant local authorities.
If you fell victim to international credit card fraud or suspect that your company cards have been compromised online, reach out to your company’s finance team. They can then contact the bank that holds the corporate account. Banks can also put additional security on your account to prevent unauthorized or suspicious transactions.
In most cases, banks will refund scammed money. However, this depends on the country your business is based in and its regulations. For example, in the UK the Payment Service Regulations 2009 require that banks refund the stolen money, provided the transaction was unauthorized.
If you paid the scammer directly and willingly with a corporate credit card, this makes getting a refund harder. It will depend on the payment type, amount, and the bank’s policies.
Many of the tourist scam red flags also apply to business travel scams. Proceed with caution if you experience any of these situations:
Overall, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Using company-approved booking platforms helps avoid scams well before you take off. Scam prevention also involves keeping the usual business cyber security tips in mind:
Watch out for phishing attempts via fake emails designed to impersonate reputable business travel agencies and double-check the details. While antivirus products and fraud detection software catch many of these, some fall through the cracks.
A few more pieces of business travel safety advice:
Credit card scams are on the rise, so stick to approved company travel cards rather than using your personal credit card. Corporate credit cards come with industry-standard security, including real-time transaction alerts, helping finance teams stay on top of suspicious activity while you travel.
Payment apps come with advanced encryption and AI-assisted fraud detection to keep financial data safe when paying for flights and hotels. Consider using digital wallets like Apple Pay to store company credit cards and boarding passes in a secure virtual space where scammers won’t be able to access them.
An even better way to protect company card info from phishing attempts is to keep it restricted to a single virtual use. Business travelers can use this virtual card for their trips – once the approved travel ends, the card expires.
Companies can even restrict purchases to certain spending types and merchant categories. That means scammers won’t be able to use the company payment info for anything other than approved expenses.
You’ll sometimes need to log in to your company devices from a public area when traveling for work. Follow all usual business travel safety advice, including online security. If you’re conducting business in public airport lounges or hotel lobbies, always use a private network rather than public WiFi. For added safety, use a screen protector to shield your data from lurkers.
Company travel planners make it their business to assess risk. If your company has a dedicated travel arranger, ask them about common tourist scams at your destination. Remember – businesses are responsible for traveling employees, so don’t be afraid to ask for support when you need it. Before embarking on your trip, check your company’s travel policy. It should clearly list:
Keep a digital copy of this info on hand so you can access it on the road.
One of the best ways to avoid travel scams is by using a trusted, reputable booking platform. Booking.com for Business is an all-in-one business travel tool that lets you manage business travel hotels, flights, and car rental.
Using multiple agents and websites for booking business travel increases your chances of fraudulent bookings. By centralizing this planning in a single system for easier monitoring, you can better manage every aspect of business travel – and stay safe from scammers.
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