Sophisticated scams are on the rise: How travel brands can secure trust

Travel is something of an easy target for cybersecurity attacks due to the nature of hospitality—and artificial intelligence (AI) may be increasing the risk for travel brands.

“We are there to help serve people, and we want to help people. And so a lot of folks in the hospitality industry are trying to make sure that they're giving their customers a good experience,” said Marnie Wilking, chief security officer at Booking.com, during an onstage interview at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona.

According to Wilking, a scammer will pose as a customer and ask the hotel for help, eventually infecting their technology with malware or taking over accounts. Or, vice versa, a hacker will pose as a travel company reaching out for payment.

Interviewer Lorraine Sileo, senior analyst and founder of Phocuswright Research, said that because the hospitality industry is built on trust, it’s more susceptible to these attacks.

Wilking dove into the schemes the industry should be aware of, starting with a scam that feels as old as time—or at least as old as the digital age.