A missed holiday flight turned into an expensive lesson for one American family, highlighting a growing wave of AI-powered online scams exploiting stressed travelers. According to Bloomberg, business-impostor scams are surging during peak travel seasons, slipping past major tech platforms’ safeguards and leaving consumers exposed at their most vulnerable moments.
Rachel Dodes and her family were traveling to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey ahead of Thanksgiving for a flight to Berlin when heavy traffic put them at risk of missing their departure. Under pressure, Dodes searched Google for United Airlines’ customer service number and called the first result displayed. The listing appeared legitimate and was positioned prominently through paid advertising.
The call was answered immediately by a man identifying himself as “Sheldon,” who claimed to be a United Airlines agent. He offered to rebook the family on a later Lufthansa flight and requested payment of $1,415.97 to cover the fare difference. Believing she was speaking with an official representative, Dodes provided her credit card information.
Warning signs emerged soon after. A confirmation email arrived from a domain called Travelomile rather than United’s official website. Sheldon dismissed concerns, attributing the issue to last-minute changes and Lufthansa’s involvement. The situation escalated when he requested uploaded images of the family’s passports through an unfamiliar website, prompting Dodes to realize she had been defrauded.
Bloomberg reports that Dodes’ experience reflects a broader and rapidly growing problem. The Federal Trade Commission reported that losses from business-impostor scams in the United States rose 30 percent to $835 million in the first three quarters of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Experts attribute the increase to artificial intelligence tools that allow criminals to create convincing fake websites, emails, and call scripts at scale.
John Breyault of the National Consumers League warned that AI has “supercharged fraud,” making scams harder to detect and more efficient to deploy. Scammers deliberately target moments of high stress, such as holiday travel disruptions, when consumers are more likely to act quickly without verifying details.
The case also raises questions about the role of Big Tech. Google, whose advertising system was used to display the fraudulent phone number, maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward scam ads. The company says it actively removes fraudulent listings and updates its policies, yet impostor ads continue to reach consumers despite those assurances.
Consumer advocates advise travelers to save official airline contact numbers before travel, rely on verified airline apps, and never share passport images or booking codes with unsolicited contacts. Victims are urged to immediately contact their financial institutions and file complaints with the FTC.
The surge in scams underscores ongoing concerns about unchecked technology platforms, weak enforcement, and the growing sophistication of fraud enabled by AI — problems increasingly borne by everyday Americans.
