Dubai: Dubai Police has renewed its warning against fraudulent online travel and tourism offers as part of its ongoing #BewareOfFraud campaign, urging the public to remain vigilant against scammers who exploit the peak summer holiday season with fake travel packages and holiday bookings.

The warning comes from the Anti-Fraud Centre at the General Department of Criminal Investigation, which noted that fraudsters increasingly target individuals and families searching for discounted holidays by advertising attractive travel packages, hotel bookings and airline tickets at prices significantly below market rates. Their aim is to persuade victims to transfer money before discovering they have been deceived.

Dubai Police explained that scammers frequently create fake websites and social media accounts, often copying the branding and identities of well-known travel agencies or licensed tourism companies to appear legitimate. Victims are then contacted through messaging applications or phone calls and pressured to complete bookings immediately, with fraudsters claiming that only a few seats remain or that promotional offers are about to expire.
Many victims only realise they have been defrauded after transferring funds to personal bank accounts or unfamiliar payment links, only to discover that their flights and hotel reservations do not exist or were never confirmed. These scams often result in financial losses and disruption to family travel plans.

Dubai Police urged the public to exercise caution and avoid offers that appear too good to be true. Residents are advised to book only through licensed travel agencies and trusted official platforms, while carefully checking website addresses before entering any personal or banking information. The force warned that fraudulent websites may closely resemble genuine ones, with only minor differences in their web addresses or spelling.

The force also stressed the importance of never transferring money to personal or unknown accounts, and never sharing bank card details, one time verification codes or passwords with untrusted parties.

Anyone who encounters suspected fraud or suspicious websites is encouraged to report them through the e-Crime platform or by calling 901 for non-emergency cases.