Protect your personal information: How To Avoid Hotel Booking Scams And Hidden Fees
How to avoid hotel booking scams and hidden fees – When booking a hotel, it’s crucial to safeguard your personal information, including credit card numbers, addresses, and phone numbers. Providing this information over unsecured channels, such as public Wi-Fi or unencrypted websites, puts you at risk of identity theft and fraud.
To protect your data, follow these tips:
Use secure websites
- Check the URL of the website you’re using. It should begin with “https://” and have a padlock icon in the address bar, indicating a secure connection.
- Avoid making bookings through email or social media links, as these may lead to phishing scams.
Beware of phishing emails
- Phishing emails often appear to come from legitimate sources but contain malicious links or attachments. Never click on these links or open attachments from unknown senders.
- Be cautious of emails that request personal information or ask you to update your account details.
Use strong passwords
- Create strong passwords that are at least 12 characters long and include a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
- Avoid using common words or phrases that can be easily guessed.
Enable two-factor authentication, How to avoid hotel booking scams and hidden fees
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your hotel account. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter a code sent to your phone or email when logging in.
- 2FA makes it harder for unauthorized individuals to access your account, even if they have your password.
Be cautious of public Wi-Fi
- Avoid accessing hotel booking websites or entering personal information on public Wi-Fi networks.
- These networks are often unsecured and can be intercepted by hackers.