During the New Year period, a wave of cloned websites and social media traps swept through online travel spaces, aiming to mislead Russian shoppers. A major newspaper highlighted this surge under a dedicated report about the holiday scams.
The publication notes that as the year ends, many people spend substantial sums on tickets, vouchers, and travel services, with a growing share of transactions happening remotely. This festive season, fraudsters exploit the rush by creating fake offers and counterfeit booking portals to catch unsuspecting buyers off guard.
In recent years, Russians have increasingly traveled during the New Year holidays. This shift drives a quick turnover of tickets, hotel bookings, and tour packages from late autumn into early winter, creating fertile ground for deceptive schemes to proliferate just before the holidays.
Experts have observed online fraud targeting flight ticket sales. Scammers actively recruit through social networks and instant messaging groups, promoting alleged discounts from well-known airlines and tour operators, according to a monitoring team from a security center focused on external digital threats within the Solar Group.
There have also been reports of telegram bots that can generate fake websites offering lower fares on airline tickets. Observers believe this tactic will gain momentum as people search for last minute deals during the New Year period.
Similar patterns were previously reported by Real Ticket.RF, with a representative noting that fake sites and social media pages began to appear before the holidays and grew in number as the season approached. The pattern indicates a deliberate effort to mimic legitimate travel brands and capture consumer trust at scale.
Experts explain that many scam operations rely on impostor accounts of recognizable travel brands on social platforms. In the past eleven months, authorities blocked more than a hundred suspicious sources, and a comparable surge has been seen in hotel reservation services, where fake pages mimic official portals to lure buyers.
Law enforcement described the fraud as happening through convincing recreations of legitimate pages. Officials stress that this is a recurring issue every year as the travel peak coincides with heavy consumer spending around the holidays.
One of the most common traps involves purchasing tickets for popular New Year trees and related events. An official from security agencies advised the public to verify the reliability of a source multiple times before making a payment, especially when dealing with holiday favorites that attract large crowds.
Fraud extends beyond the capital, with reports of deception in ticket sales for shows and concerts nationwide. The Chuvash State Philharmonic Orchestra, for instance, warned on social networks about scammers collecting money for a fake Christmas tree concert on behalf of a city administration, underscoring that such fraud targets cultural events as well as travel itineraries.
As the season approaches, the risk assessment grows with reports of deception tied to SIM card schemes and other tactics aimed at intercepting payments or stealing personal data during the booking process. Consumers are urged to remain vigilant and double-check every step of the purchasing path, from the source of the deal to the final confirmation of tickets or hotel stays.
In summary, New Year travel trends bring opportunities for fraud operators who capitalize on urgency and social proof. News outlets, security centers, and law enforcement organizations continue to urge travelers to verify identity claims, use official portals, and watch for red flags such as unusually low prices, pressure to pay quickly, or requests for personal information on unfamiliar platforms. Keeping a cool head during peak booking times helps minimize risk and protects holiday plans from disruption by deceitful actors that try to hijack the joy of the season.