Google Issues A Warning Advisory for Travellers This Summer Season, Here's What It Said

On May 27, 2025, Google released its latest fraud and scams advisory, highlighting a surge in online scams. The advisory notes a significant increase in fake travel websites, particularly targeting users during the summer vacation season. Scammers lure users with offers that seem too good to be true, often impersonating reputable hotels or travel agencies. These scams are prevalent during holidays and major events, exploiting users who book travel through messaging apps or phone calls.

Google’s Trust & Safety teams have observed that these scams are part of a global trend, with attackers sending scam messages mimicking toll road fees across different regions throughout the day. In response, Google Messages has implemented new features to detect and warn users about dangerous toll road scams and other billing fee scams in real time.

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The advisory also emphasizes the importance of user vigilance. Google advises users to pause before acting on urgent messages, question the plausibility of claims, and avoid clicking on links from unknown sources such as ad popups. Users are encouraged to report suspicious messages using in-product tools or submit suspicious links to Safe Browsing.

This advisory precedes the inaugural Scams Summit at the Google Safety Engineering Center on May 28, 2025, where industry leaders will discuss strategies to combat online fraud.