07.07.2026 - The holiday season is also peak time for cybercriminals. Fake booking platforms, fraudulent ticket websites and stolen smartphones can quickly turn a planned break into a major source of stress. However, a few simple precautions can significantly reduce the risks.
During the holiday season, many travel plans are made online, from booking hotels to buying tickets for sights and attractions. This makes travellers an attractive target for cybercriminals, who exploit the fact that people are often in unfamiliar surroundings and less familiar with local providers. It is therefore all the more important to take your time and check offers carefully in advance.
Booking hotels and attractions safely
Hotels, tickets and leisure activities are usually booked online. Scammers take advantage of this by creating booking pages that look deceptively genuine or by circulating fake offers. In Switzerland, people may often know the official websites of major attractions, but when travelling abroad, they may be less familiar with local providers. That makes them more dependent on search engines. But the top result is not always the right one: scammers sometimes use paid ads to place their websites above the genuine search results.
Recently, there has also been an increase in reports of travellers receiving messages after making legitimate bookings. They are asked to make another payment or enter their credit card details in order to supposedly confirm the booking. Currently, such messages are increasingly being received via messaging services such as WhatsApp. As these messages refer to specific booking details, they can appear deceptively genuine.
Recommendations
- Only make bookings through the official websites or apps of well-known platforms. The first online search result is not always the right one. Check the URL carefully and read other people's reviews.
- If you receive an unusual payment request, contact the hotel or provider directly using only the contact details on the official hotel website.
- Always check payment confirmations on your mobile phone carefully to ensure they are correct.
- Do not send credit card details or copies of identity documents via links in emails or chat messages.
- Be suspicious of offers that are significantly cheaper than comparable ones.
Securing your smartphone
Smartphones contain much more than just photos and contacts. They store emails, access to banking and other online services, and often digital tickets and travel documents too. If a device is lost or stolen, the consequences can be serious.
Recommendations
- Back up your devices regularly, especially immediately before travelling.
- Protect your device with a PIN, fingerprint or facial recognition.
- Turn on the automatic screen lock.
- Keep your operating system and all apps up to date.
- Activate the "Find my device" and "Remote wipe" functions.
- Only install apps from official app stores.
- Only grant the permissions that are strictly necessary. For example, the calculator does not need access to your device's camera.
Further information
Know the emergency numbers
If your credit card is lost or stolen, you need to act quickly. Credit card issuers, as well as some banks, have emergency numbers that can be reached around the clock and used to block cards immediately, even when you're abroad. Keep these contact numbers handy, or use your bank's app or online banking account to block cards instantly. In some cases, you can also block your TWINT account via e-banking. If your phone itself is stolen, numbers stored only on the device will not be of any help.
Recommendation
Have a plan B: think about what you would absolutely need if your device or your bank and credit cards were stolen – emergency numbers on paper, copies of your passport, tickets, backup means of payment, etc.
Tolls and ESTA applications
The NCSC regularly receives reports of attempted scams targeting motorists. When travelling abroad, local road charges and fines can sometimes be difficult to make sense of. It's all too easy to click on the wrong link and end up on a fraudulent website, where you enter your credit card details but never receive what you paid for. Many countries also require an electronic travel authorisation, such as an ESTA, for visa-free entry. Scammers exploit these often complex procedures by creating official-looking websites designed to trick people into handing over their data and money.
Recommendations
- Only pay road charges through official channels. If in doubt, check directly on the relevant authority's website.
- When applying for travel authorisations, only use the official websites of the relevant authorities.
- You should also be careful when using search engines: Advertising links are often displayed before the actual search results. They are labelled as 'sponsored'.
- If you receive a parking fine, check that it seems legitimate.
- If you are asked to pay a fine online, first check that the website is official. If in doubt, contact the relevant authorities.
Further information
Public Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi in hotels, airports and railway stations is very convenient, especially if your mobile phone plan has a limited data allowance. Data connections, such as web browsing, chats, emails and e-banking, are generally encrypted, which means that even criminals with access to the Wi-Fi network cannot simply read the data being transmitted. However, there is still a residual risk from fake or hijacked hotspots and man-in-the-middle attacks. These require a certain amount of effort, and scammers would have to use their own certificates to read the data. This would trigger a warning in the app or browser, which you should always take seriously.
Recommendations
- Only connect to Wi-Fi networks that you recognise and trust.
- If in doubt, ask for the official network name.
- Never ignore certificate warnings or corresponding notices in the app. They are a strong warning sign that the connection is no longer trustworthy.
- If you have any doubts, you can use a VPN. However, be aware that there are rogue providers in this area too, so choose a trusted service.
- Disable automatic connections to open Wi-Fi networks.
Further information
Conclusion
By following a few basic security rules, you can significantly reduce the risk of fraud and data loss. Making secure bookings, protecting your smartphone and being cautious with public networks will help ensure that your holiday is memorable for all the right reasons.
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Last modification 07.07.2026
