AirAsia MOVE (formerly AirAsia Superapp) alerts the public to exercise extreme caution while purchasing flights and hotels online, particularly from questionable online travel brokers, in view of the increasing number of accounts from travellers who fell victim to online travel frauds.
Based on the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group’s statistics, it appears that in just two years, there have been 16 times as many internet frauds involving travel.
The total number of victims has increased dramatically to 842 in 2023 from 51 cases reported in 2021. Scammers defrauded nearly half of the victims of their money in the hopes of buying cheap flights and lodging. Records from the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group show that at least PHP 13.2 million was lost to travel-related internet frauds in 2023 alone.
There are two types of travel scams, according to the PNP. Travellers’ personal information is stolen by scammers through a practice known as “fakebooking.”
In many cases, victims were persuaded to deposit a down payment or even a full payment to partake of a bogus discount, only to find out later that they had been conned. The other division includes people who lost their money to scammers or fraudulent online travel brokers.
PNP-ACG Spokesperson Lt. Col. Jay Guillermo advises the public and travellers: โThey must go to a legitimate site. It can be a legitimate page or application para, at least, malaman natin if there is something suspicious in their communication. Malalaman natin kung sino ang nanloloko kasi nga if they order on these websites, applications, or page na legitimate, they can monitor whatever transaction theyโve done online. Ibig sabihin, meron kang security because these are legitimate and these are regulated, so secured ang transaction mo. (Translation: They must go to a legitimate site. It can be a legitimate page or application (app), so at least, we can determine if there is something suspicious in their communication. We will know who is at fault because we will be able to monitor the transaction when they use legitimate applications or websites. This means they have security because these are legitimate and these are regulated, so their transactions are secured.”
Rowena Rivera, airasia MOVE Head of Travel Philippines, said: “With the growing popularity of online travel bookings and the increasing sophistication of fraudsters, we urge travellers to use only legitimate booking apps like airasia Superapp. We advise them to avoid unverified groups and pages offering discounts on flights and hotels. Travel has to be fun and memorable, and not stressful. We want to help avoid scams to protect every traveller. The only way to avoid scams is to ensure that they only make purchases through legitimate booking apps like airasia Superapp, which is secure and credible.
AirAsia MOVE observes the highest standards in handling data, safety, and security. It uses data encryption to safeguard the userโs information. Legitimate platforms like AirAsia Superapp provide clear booking confirmations and transaction details. It even offers discounts every month that app users and subscribers can use to save on their flight and hotel bookings.โ
To ensure you are using the correct platform, simply search for “AirAsia SuperApp” on the App Store (for iOS or Apple users), Google Play (for Android users), or App Gallery (for Huawei users). When it appears among your top searches, click the download icon.
To keep informed about the latest offers and promotions, follow @airasiasuperapp.ph on Instagram.
