COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A lot of people will be going out of town for the 4th of July, but be on the lookout for bad actors looking to steal your information. Summer travel deals involving holiday promotions might need a little more research before you commit.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning consumers about travel offers that appear to be from familiar hotels or airlines.

If you click on the link, scammers will ask for your personal information in exchange for details about their great deals. When you share your information, these scammers could steal your money or use your accounts to make unauthorized purchases.

J. Michael Skiba, MBA, PhD, international financial crime expert and program manager at Colorado State University Global, also known as Dr. Fraud, says these tactics are common, and once you give away your money, it’s hard to get it back.

“A lot of times, these websites and the trails they leave are not like money laundering in the old days when you had cash that could actually be tracked.,” Skiba said. “Now, it’s different. They shut these sites down immediately after they’re launched, or if there’s any suspicious activity. It makes it really hard to track them. It takes a massive amount of manual effort.”

He adds that it’s easy to create these fake websites now, thanks to advanced technology like AI.

The FTC says you can avoid being taken advantage of during your travel plans by:

Researching the website. Always check reviews or complaints.

Not clicking links in an unexpected email or text message.

Looking at how they want you to pay. Don’t pay with a wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency.

Report a scam or fraud attempt to the FTC here.

This article was written by KOAA News5 Consumer Reporter Kierra Sam. Have a story? Send an email to Kierra.Sam@koaa.com.

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