Fake websites posing as official visa and travel declaration platforms are catching out travellers and travel agents, charging inflated fees for applications or forms that may be free, and exposing users’ personal and financial information.
The websites often imitate legitimate government portals and appear prominently in online searches, making them difficult to distinguish from official sources.
Travel agents say scammers are increasingly targeting less familiar but mandatory processes, such as arrival forms and electronic visas.
Lilly Fourie from Trip Tonic said clients had encountered websites charging for Mauritius arrival forms, Turkish e-visas and the new SARS traveller declaration.
“There are also the numerous flight-related sites but most clients have become aware about the risks of these. The scammers seem to be targeting the smaller but mandatory fields now, such as e-forms and e-visas,” said Fourie.
Visa-exempt travellers to Europe have also been warned of fake European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) websites. ETIAS applications have been delayed indefinitely with no applications being accepted.
According to The Guardian, more than 150 websites are already advertising services to obtain the permit despite it not being in operation yet. European border agency Frontex warned that some third-party sites imitated official government pages, used convincing domain names, and provided inaccurate information about entry requirements.
“All your personal data is at risk, your devices are at risk and on top of that, these websites tend to capitalise on something that should be free in the first place,” said Fourie.
Identifying scams
Fourie investigated a website offering a Mauritius arrival form and found that it closely resembled the legitimate platform but required payment.
“I noticed quite a few adverts on the page and the website wasn’t government affiliated when it came to contact information or domain. It’s so similar that I’m not surprised that clients get confused.”
To identify these fake websites, she said clients should look out for excessive adverts, suspicious domain names and poor website quality.
However, Leigh Mitchell from Travel 4 Fun warns that these signs are not always obvious. “They come up in your search as sponsored content or adverts which look legit. We as agents are also at risk as we rely on the same search environment.”
She recently supplied a client with the official website to the Bali e-visa on arrival application but the page was not working. The client searched online for an alternative and found another site that charged US$200 (R3 330) instead of $35 (R585).
The American Society of Travel Advisors warned that AI was making it harder to identify these scams. Poor spelling and grammar were once common warning signs of scam websites, but AI has made these easier to overcome. Scammers can now use the technology to create convincing websites that closely imitate official platforms.
Fourie said travel agents had an important role to play in helping clients access reliable information and avoid scam websites.
“As part of our aftersales we always share the correct links and information in the email with final vouchers and e-tickets. We get our information from reliable sources such as Travelinfo, Timatic, Traveldoc etc. I then also mention this in our conversations to make sure the client saw the information.”
She said some older clients might get confused navigating the online services, prompting her agency to introduce pre-departure assistance as an option in its services.
