WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida residents are getting hit hard by vacation scams, losing an average of $764 according to a new study by Local Insiders. This puts the Sunshine State at seventh place nationally for travel fraud losses.
Floridians lose nearly $20.4 million annually to vacation scams, with fake travel websites and online advertisements being the main culprits. The problem is getting worse nationwide — travel fraud has nearly tripled since 2021, jumping from $99 million to $297 million.
Making matters worse, 60% of people say artificial intelligence is making it more difficult to tell what's real online, creating new challenges for travelers trying to avoid fraudulent offers. The study used Federal Trade Commission data to compare vacation fraud losses across all states, looking at total losses, per-person losses, and year-over-year changes.
The scam concerns are already changing how Americans travel. One in three Americans are now more hesitant to book vacations due to fraud worries, while 41% have changed how they book trips entirely because of these concerns.
For the complete study and state-by-state rankings, click here.
