From booking flights and hotels to finding vacation deals online, planning a trip has never been easier. Unfortunately, it’s also created more opportunities for scammers to target travelers.
Fake booking websites, phishing texts, fraudulent vacation rentals, and even stolen airline miles are just some of the scams travelers are navigating before they ever leave home.
But where are vacation scams costing Americans the most?
To find out, LocalsInsider.com analyzed Federal Trade Commission data on vacation and travel fraud across the U.S. We compared annual losses, average losses per report, and year-over-year changes to determine which states are being hit hardest by travel scams.
Additionally, we surveyed more than 1,000 Americans to learn how travel scam concerns are changing booking habits, which platforms travelers trust most, and whether artificial intelligence is making fraud even harder to spot.
Key Insights
- Washington ranks No. 1 for travel scam losses, with more than $124,000 in annual losses per 100,000 residents.
- U.S. travel fraud losses have nearly tripled since 2021, rising from $99 million to $297 million.
- 34% of Americans say scam concerns have made them more hesitant to book a leisure trip this year.
- 87% are confident they could recognize a travel scam, yet 22% have clicked on a fake travel ad or sponsored search result.
- 60% believe AI has made travel scams more convincing, and 36% aren’t confident they could spot a fake AI-generated travel review.
- 64% were unaware that scammers can steal airline miles or hotel rewards by gaining access to loyalty accounts.
Which States Are Hit Hardest by Travel Scams?
Travel fraud is costing consumers millions of dollars across the country, but residents in some states are experiencing significantly higher losses than others.
Washington tops our list of states hit hardest by travel scams. According to FTC data, residents reported nearly $9.7 million in annual vacation and travel fraud losses, equal to more than $124,000 in losses for every 100,000 residents. Total losses in Washington have increased 54% year-over-year.
Utah ranks second, with nearly $105,000 in travel fraud losses per 100,000 residents. Arizona, Arkansas, and North Carolina round out the top five.
While Arkansas ranks fourth overall, the state experienced one of the most dramatic increases in the country. Travel scam losses jumped 115% year-over-year.
Elsewhere, Nebraska saw an even larger increase. Annual losses surged 159%, which is the largest year-over-year jump among the top-ranking states.
Larger states still account for some of the highest overall dollar losses. California residents reported more than $33 million in annual travel fraud losses, while Florida lost more than $20 million. North Carolina and Georgia each reported more than $10 million in losses.
U.S. Travel Fraud Losses Have Nearly Tripled Since 2021
Travel scams aren’t only impacting a handful of states. Fraud losses are climbing rapidly nationwide.
In 2021, Americans reported approximately $99 million in annual vacation and travel fraud losses. By 2025, that number had reached $297 million. In other words, travel fraud losses have nearly tripled in just four years.
The sharpest increase occurred between 2023 and 2024, when annual losses climbed from roughly $125 million to more than $275 million.
As Americans increasingly rely on websites, mobile apps, social media, and online booking platforms to plan their trips, scammers now have more ways to reach travelers. From fake hotel listings to fraudulent booking confirmations, a vacation scam can start long before a traveler arrives at the airport.
Americans Are Still Traveling, but Scam Concerns Are Growing
Despite rising travel fraud losses, Americans aren’t giving up their vacations just yet.
Nearly half of survey respondents (46%) say they plan to take at least one leisure trip between now and Labor Day. But those Labor Day trips won’t be cheap. Americans with holiday travel plans expect to spend an average of $1,384 on transportation, accommodations, and other travel expenses.
However, concerns about scams are beginning to influence travel plans. Overall, 34% of Americans say growing scam concerns have made them at least somewhat more hesitant to book a leisure trip this year.
With travelers spending thousands of dollars on flights, hotels, and vacation rentals, falling for a scam can quickly turn an expensive trip into an even more costly mistake.
Americans are overwhelmingly confident in their ability to recognize travel scams.
According to our survey, 87% say they are either very or somewhat confident they could identify a travel scam before losing money.
However, travelers may not be as scam-savvy as they think.
Nearly 1 in 4 (22%) admit they’ve clicked on a travel-related online ad or sponsored search result that turned out to be fake. An additional 13% aren’t sure whether they’ve encountered one.
Suspicious travel messages are also common, with more than 4 in 10 Americans (41%) reporting they’ve received a suspicious travel-related text, including fake flight cancellation alerts, unpaid toll notices, or fraudulent hotel booking messages.
Another 23% have received a suspicious or fraudulent message through WhatsApp, iMessage, or another messaging platform claiming to be from an airline, hotel, or travel company.
As travel scams become more convincing, even travelers who consider themselves cautious can find themselves clicking on the wrong link or responding to what appears to be a legitimate booking message.
Travel Scam Fears Are Changing How Americans Book Trips
Growing scam concerns aren’t only making travelers more cautious. They’re changing how Americans book vacations altogether.
Overall, 41% of survey respondents say concerns about travel scams have changed the way they book trips.
Among that group, 80% now book directly through airline or hotel websites. Nearly two-thirds (63%) spend more time researching companies before paying, while 62% avoid unfamiliar booking websites.
Nearly half (49%) compare more reviews before booking, and 44% specifically avoid travel deals they find on social media.
Social media already faces a significant trust problem among travelers. Nearly two-thirds (65%) name social media as the platform they trust least with their personal or payment information when booking a trip.
Travelers are also becoming more cautious about how they pay. Among respondents who changed their booking habits, 41% now use a credit card instead of a debit card, while 22% have started purchasing travel insurance.
Still, the pressure to find a deal can lead travelers to make quick decisions. More than half of Americans (52%) say they’ve felt pressured to book travel because of messages such as “Only one seat left” or “Deal ends in 10 minutes.”
What Travel Scams Worry Americans Most?
When it comes to travel fraud, financial scams are top of mind.
Credit card and payment fraud ranks as Americans’ biggest travel scam concern, cited by 59% of respondents. Identity theft while traveling follows at 48%.
Fake vacation rental or hotel listings and pickpocketing or physical theft tied for third, with 43% of travelers concerned about each.
Artificial intelligence is also beginning to appear on travelers’ radar. More than one-quarter (28%) are concerned about AI-generated scam emails or websites, while 20% worry about voice-cloning scams that impersonate airline employees, hotel staff, or even travel companions.
Airline and hotel loyalty accounts represent another emerging concern.
Nearly 3 in 5 Americans (59%) have an airline, hotel, or travel rewards account. However, 64% of all respondents were unaware that scammers can steal frequent flyer miles or hotel points by gaining access to loyalty accounts.
Is AI Making Travel Scams More Convincing?
From building travel itineraries to comparing destinations, artificial intelligence is quickly becoming another tool travelers use to plan trips.
One-third of Americans (33%) say they’ve used AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or Claude to plan or book travel within the past year.
At the same time, travelers believe AI is also helping scammers.
Six in 10 Americans (60%) say AI has made travel scams more convincing, while another 30% aren’t sure. Just 10% believe AI hasn’t changed how convincing travel scams appear.
Voice cloning is one area where awareness remains low. More than one-third of respondents (38%) were unaware that AI can be used to clone the voice of an airline representative, hotel employee, or even a travel companion.
Travelers also aren’t entirely confident they can recognize fake reviews. More than one-third (36%) say they are not confident in their ability to spot an AI-generated review on a travel booking website.
As more travelers rely on reviews, online listings, and AI tools to plan vacations, determining what’s real and what’s fake may become an increasingly important part of the booking process.
Which Travel Booking Platforms Do Americans Trust Most?
When sharing personal and payment information, travelers overwhelmingly trust airlines more than other booking platforms.
Nearly 4 in 10 respondents (38%) say they trust airline websites or apps the most, more than double the share who selected hotel websites (14%).
Expedia ranks third at 12%. Interestingly, another 12% say they don’t fully trust any of the travel platforms included in our survey.
On the other end of the spectrum, social media is by far the least trusted place to book travel. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) rank social media as the platform they trust least with their personal or payment information.
Airbnb ranks a distant second at 7%, followed by Booking.com at 5%.
Travelers Are Still Taking Digital Security Risks
Travel scams don’t always start during the booking process. The way Americans use technology while traveling may also leave them vulnerable.
Three in 10 respondents (30%) say they always or most of the time connect to public Wi-Fi at airports or hotels without using a VPN.
Social media habits may create another layer of risk. While nearly half of Americans (49%) say they never share their travel plans or real-time location on social media, nearly one-quarter (24%) do so at least sometimes.
That includes 6% who say they share travel plans or their location most of the time or always.
Whether it’s clicking on a suspicious booking ad, rushing to lock in a limited-time deal, or connecting to public Wi-Fi, our findings show that travel scams can target consumers throughout nearly every stage of a trip.
As summer travel continues and millions of Americans prepare for Labor Day getaways, slowing down and double-checking booking information may be just as important as remembering your passport.
Methodology
LocalsInsider.com analyzed travel and vacation fraud data from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network State Reports.
Vacation & Travel, Timeshare Sales, and Timeshare Resales were combined to create a broader Travel & Timeshare Fraud category consistent with FTC annual reporting data. State rankings are based on annual fraud losses per 100,000 residents using U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. We also analyzed total annual losses, average losses per reported incident, and year-over-year changes.
Additionally, LocalsInsider.com surveyed 1,005 U.S. adults in June and July 2026 to learn more about travel scam awareness, booking habits, platform trust, artificial intelligence, and digital security behaviors.
Survey Demographics
Gender: Female (57%); Male (41%); Non-binary/non-conforming (2%)
Age: Respondents ranged from 18 to 80 years old, with a median age of 40.
Annual household income: $50,000 to $74,999 (22%); $100,000 to $149,999 (17%); $30,000 to $49,999 (17%); $75,000 to $99,999 (16%); less than $30,000 (14%); $150,000 or more (12%).
Location: Respondents were distributed across all 50 U.S. states.
Limitations: Self-reported survey data may be subject to recall bias or social desirability bias.
Sources: Federal Trade Commission Consumer Sentinel Network State Reports; U.S. Census Bureau.
More: Travel insurance, VPNs, eSIMs, useful apps you may need when traveling.
