The travel industry is amongst the greatest industries of all time, especially significant in the modern world. It revolves around the migration of individuals or groups from one place to another for business purposes or vacations.
Nevertheless, travel frauds are on the rise. Travelers and businesses are both prone to be a target of fraudulent activities and scams. Fraudsters have managed to perform witty tactics and have unfortunately succeeded in their wicked motives. Nowadays, no industry is safe from deceitful and imposter individuals. But identity verification services have reduced notable travel frauds.
In this article, we will learn about types of travel frauds and their mitigation techniques through online identity verification.
The 4 Types of Travel Frauds
Digital data breaches
Data breaches through online booking platforms have taken a toll on the travel industry. Cybercriminals illegally access customers’ sensitive and crucial information, which jeopardizes the business’s reputation and clients’ information.
An extremely famous travel booking was a data breach target in 2018, which exposed the firm clients’ private information such as credit and debit card details. Another incident occurred in April 2019 at an International airport where a deliberate hack knocked out the email system and the display of the screens.
Payment details theft
Payment card details theft is an easy and ongoing travel fraud. Hackers design specific malware and steal credit card information to access the accounts of cardholders. Hackers use this sensitive credit card information to perform illegal transactions.
Spike in hotel prices
This horrendous travel fraud is conducted through the collaboration of fraudsters and hotel administrators. Hotel administrations increase the price of the rooms and ask fraudsters to book rooms with the stolen credit cards through travel sites. Because of this bizarre scam, online travel companies have to pay high-priced chargebacks, which cost them their reputation and undergo financial damage.
A biometric identity verification system can immensely reduce the risk of chargebacks and stolen credit card frauds.
Last-minute bookings
The majority of the impostors benefit from last-minute bookings by buying tickets in the time span of 24 to 48 hours. These purchases are performed through stolen credit card details which go unnoticed and are among the most significant travel frauds. Airlines and travel agencies can no longer cancel a ticket in such a short time once the impostor has checked in for his flight.
Minimize Travel Frauds through Identity Verification
Adoption of ID verification mechanism to reduce travel frauds must be incorporated by all travel agencies. For example, biometric identity verification is a robust tool to detect and prevent travel fraud. In addition, identity verification system plays a major role when it comes to creating a credible business reputation between travel agencies and customers.
Genuine customers only
Travel companies should make sure that only genuine customers have access to their online platform to combat travel fraud. This can be made sure by running customer identity verification checks prior to booking tickets online.
Incorporation of ID document verification
Document verification checks should be run on passports and ID cards when online customers pay through credit cards. Additionally, airports can benefit from ID document verification to avoid long queues and hassle at the front desk. Airports can also detect individuals on watchlists and efficiently comply with AML regulations.
Adopt biometric identity verification
Online identity verification solutions include biometric verifications that ensure customers are who they claim to be. Customers should be verified through facial recognition that performs live detection. These live detections should then be verified by comparing them with ID documents.
Performing these identity verifications can significantly reduce customer check-in time.
Improve customer experience
Customer experiences should be improved by easing customers’ online dealings. For example, the identity verification process ensures that your customer values your state-of-the-art solutions to combat frauds and data breaches. Additionally, this will increase business reputation naturally amongst clients and other businesses.
Enhanced security system
Travel agencies should adopt extra security to minimize data breaches. Even after installing a firewall, travel agencies should incorporate proper procedures and train employees to protect the secrecy of the customers’ private data.
To conclude,
In the end, we can be sure that when an individual is traveling either for vacation, education, or business purposes, they want the best facilities. Therefore, when dealing with industries as prominent as the travel industry, identity verification can be the most profitable and diligent.
