Industry experts have advised travellers to be cautious when booking their upcoming trips online, as scammers are using Artificial Intelligence to scam consumers.

While advising travellers, Chadd Andre with Flight Centre Canada said “There are now so many different ways that AI is enabling those that are trying to scam people.”

Flight Centre Canada carried out a travel scam survey, which discovered that 32 percent of Canadians have fallen victim to travel scams. 47 percent of that number were Gen-Z travellers and 17 percent admitted they were scammed by a fake listing.

The survey discovered that scammers used AI to create fraudulent accommodation listings and went as far as fabricating reviews and impersonating travel agents online.

Andre revealed travellers might believe they’re talking to a reputable agent when, in fact, it’s a chatbot operated by a scam company.

Andre added: “There are listings that pop up when you search for a certain airline travel company, or you may get a fake website or a fake phone number.

“Sticking to the trusted travel brands, especially the ones that are Canadian based and have consumer protection agencies behind them, are your best choice.”

The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) agreed the travel sector is prone to the negative aspects of Artificial Intelligence.

While talking to CTV News, Richard Smart, TICO’s CEO, said: “We are hearing more about AI-generated websites, AI-generated chatbots, so they are definitely out there.”

Anyone who books with a TICO-registered company may get compensation if problems arise from their trip.

Smart urged travellers to carry out their research, desist from using obscure companies on social media, and stick with well-established travel agencies.

He said: “That doesn’t mean you need to go to their storefront, the vast majority of bookings are done on the phone and online, and that’s fine.”