When Your Dream Vacation Meets a Digital Con Artist

Planning a trip is supposed to be exciting — mapping hiking trails, booking cozy hotels, counting down the days until takeoff. But in today’s AI-powered world, that excitement can quickly turn into anxiety. Travel scams aren’t new. What is new is how frighteningly convincing they’ve become. Even seasoned professionals are getting fooled. Take Randy Rupp, a retired federal law enforcement agent. If anyone knew how to spot fraud, it was him. He and his wife, Becki — a travel coach — were organizing a hiking adventure in the Dolomites and had secured a hotel in Bolzano months in advance....