Dubai Police warn of fake travel deals ahead of summer holidays

Dubai: Dubai Police have issued a public alert cautioning residents against fraudulent online travel and tourism offers, as part of the force's ongoing #BewareOfFraud awareness campaign. The advisory urges the public to stay alert to scammers capitalising on the peak summer travel season by pushing fake holiday packages and bogus bookings.

The warning was issued by the Anti-Fraud Centre at the General Department of Criminal Investigation, which said fraudsters are increasingly targeting individuals and families on the hunt for cheaper getaways. Scammers typically lure victims with travel deals, hotel stays and flight tickets priced well below market value, with the ultimate goal of getting them to send money before realising they've been conned.

According to police, fraudsters often set up fake websites and social media pages that mimic the branding and identity of established, licensed travel agencies to appear credible. Victims are usually approached via messaging apps or phone calls and pushed to finalise bookings quickly, with scammers claiming limited seat availability or expiring promotions to create a sense of urgency.

In many cases, victims only discover the scam after money has already been sent to personal bank accounts or unverified payment links, at which point they learn their flights or hotel reservations were never actually booked. The fallout often includes financial loss as well as disrupted travel plans for families.

Dubai Police is advising the public to be wary of deals that seem unrealistically cheap and to book exclusively through licensed agencies and verified platforms. Residents are also urged to double-check website URLs before entering any personal or financial details, noting that fake sites can closely mimic legitimate ones, sometimes differing by just a single letter or character in the web address.

The force further emphasised that money should never be transferred to personal or unknown accounts, and that bank card numbers, OTPs and passwords should never be shared with unverified parties.

Anyone who comes across suspicious websites or suspected scams is urged to report them via the e-Crime platform, or by calling 901 for non-urgent matters.