Booking.com, a popular website for booking travel, is warning people about a rise in travel scams that are using artificial intelligence (AI). These scams trick people into giving away their financial information. The scammers send fake links that look real, and they target websites like Booking.com and Airbnb because they let people list their own places to stay. The scammers either take the money and disappear or try to get more money from the person later. AI makes these scams harder to spot because it can create realistic images and text in different languages.

To protect yourself from these scams, Marnie Wilking from Booking.com suggests using two-factor authentication. This means you have to do an extra security check, like putting in a code that gets sent to your phone. She also says to be careful when clicking on links. Even though AI is causing more scams, Booking.com is using it to find and remove fake hotels quickly. They use AI to stop the scams before anyone books anything.

Jane Hawkes, an expert on consumers, says that travel companies should do more to tell people about these scams and give advice on how to avoid them. She also suggests doing lots of research, checking for contact details on websites, and booking package holidays instead of separate flights and places to stay. Using a credit card for bookings can also give you more protection.

In summary, Booking.com is warning people about more travel scams because of AI. These scams trick people into giving away their money by sending fake links. Using two-factor authentication and being careful with links can help protect you. Booking.com is using AI to find and remove fake hotels. Travel companies should do more to educate people about these scams, and individuals should do research and consider booking package holidays and using credit cards for extra protection.

Original news source: Booking.com warns of up to 900% increase in travel scams (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and write a summary of the main points. They should focus on the rise of travel scams using AI, the methods scammers use, and the precautions suggested by Booking.com and Jane Hawkes. After writing their summaries, students can share them with the class and compare their answers.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will discuss their opinions on the topic of travel scams and AI. They should consider questions such as: Do you think AI makes scams harder to spot? Should travel companies do more to educate people about these scams? What precautions do you personally take when booking travel online? After discussing, each group will present their opinions to the class and engage in a class-wide discussion.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of vocabulary words. Each group will take turns selecting a word and drawing a picture to represent it. The other groups will try to guess the word based on the drawing. After each round, the groups can switch words and continue playing.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose important keywords from the article and write the number of letters in each word on the board, replacing the actual letters with underscores. Divide the class into two teams. One team will choose a word and the other team will guess letters to try and fill in the blanks. If a guessed letter is correct, it will be placed in the correct position. If a guessed letter is incorrect, a body part will be added to the hangman drawing. The teams will take turns until either the word is guessed or the hangman is completed.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of travel scams and AI. They should consider questions such as: How do you think scammers will adapt to new technologies? Will AI become more effective in detecting scams? How will travel companies and individuals protect themselves in the future? After discussing their predictions, students can share their ideas with the class and engage in a class-wide discussion.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is Booking.com warning people about?
2. How do these travel scams trick people into giving away their financial information?
3. Why do scammers target websites like Booking.com and Airbnb?
4. How does artificial intelligence make these scams harder to spot?
5. What does Marnie Wilking from Booking.com suggest people do to protect themselves from these scams?
6. How is Booking.com using AI to combat these scams?
7. What does Jane Hawkes, an expert on consumers, suggest people do to avoid these scams?
8. Why should individuals consider booking package holidays and using credit cards for extra protection?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Booking.com, a popular (1)______ for booking travel, is warning people about a rise in travel (2)______ that are using artificial intelligence (AI). These scams trick people into (3)______ away their financial information. The scammers send fake links that look real, and they target (4)______ like Booking.com and Airbnb because they let people list their own places to stay. The scammers either take the money and disappear or try to get more money from the person later. AI makes these scams harder to spot because it can create realistic images and text in different languages.

To protect yourself from these scams, Marnie Wilking from Booking.com suggests (5)______ two-factor (6)______. This means you have to do an extra security check, like putting in a code that gets sent to your phone. She also says to be careful when (7)______ on links. Even though AI is (8)______ more scams, Booking.com is using it to find and remove fake hotels quickly. They use AI to stop the scams before anyone books anything.

Jane Hawkes, an (9)______ on consumers, says that travel companies should do more to tell people about these scams and give advice on how to avoid them. She also suggests doing lots of research, (10)______ for (11)______ details on websites, and (12)______ package holidays instead of separate flights and places to stay. Using a credit card for bookings can also give you more protection.

In summary, Booking.com is warning people about more travel scams because of AI. These scams trick people into giving away their money by sending fake (13)______. Using two-factor authentication and being careful with links can help protect you. Booking.com is using AI to find and (14)______ fake hotels. Travel companies should do more to educate people about these scams, and individuals should do (15)______ and (16)______ booking package holidays and using credit cards for extra protection.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. Have you ever booked a trip or accommodation online? How was your experience?
2. What is artificial intelligence (AI)? Can you think of any other examples of how AI is used in everyday life?
3. How would you feel if you were tricked by a travel scam and lost your money? What would you do in that situation?
4. Do you think two-factor authentication is an effective way to protect yourself from scams? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever received a suspicious email or message with a fake link? How did you handle it?
6. What do you think travel companies can do to better inform people about travel scams? Why is it important for them to do so?
7. How do you usually research and plan your trips? Do you think doing more research can help prevent scams? Why or why not?
8. What are some advantages of booking package holidays instead of separate flights and accommodations? Have you ever booked a package holiday before?
9. Do you feel more confident using a credit card for bookings? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever encountered any fake hotels or accommodations while booking online? How did you realize they were fake?
11. How do you think AI can be used to stop travel scams? Can you think of any other ways AI can be used to improve travel experiences?
12. Do you think travel scams are a big problem? Why or why not? Have you or anyone you know ever been a victim of a travel scam?
13. How important is it for individuals to be aware of travel scams and take precautions? What precautions do you usually take when booking online?
14. Can you think of any other tips or advice to avoid travel scams? Share your ideas and explain why you think they would be effective.
15. What are your thoughts on the role of technology in the travel industry? Do you think it has more advantages or disadvantages? Why?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. scams
2. artificial intelligence
3. financial
4. authentication
5. scammers
6. realistic
7. consumers
8. protection
9. research
10. package
11. security
12. disappear
13. contact
14. expert
15. educate

Meanings:
(A) Keeping someone or something safe from harm or danger
(B) Related to money or how money is managed
(C) Measures taken to keep something safe from danger or harm
(D) Very close to real; almost like the real thing
(E) A set of items or services sold together as a single unit
(F) To teach or inform someone about something
(G) Tricks to cheat people out of money or personal information
(H) A person with a lot of knowledge or skill in a particular area
(I) People who buy and use products or services
(J) To vanish or go away completely
(K) People who cheat others to get money or personal information
(L) Information that allows you to get in touch with someone
(M) Technology that makes machines smart and able to do tasks that usually need human intelligence
(N) A process to confirm that someone is who they say they are
(O) Careful study to find out more about something
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is Booking.com warning people about travel scams?
(a) Because they want to promote their website
(b) Because they want to scare people from traveling
(c) Because they want to increase their profits
(d) Because the scams are using artificial intelligence (AI)

2. How do these travel scams trick people?
(a) By offering discounted travel packages
(b) By sending fake links that look real
(c) By sending spam emails
(d) By pretending to be famous travel companies

3. Which websites are commonly targeted by these scams?
(a) Facebook and Instagram
(b) Booking.com and Airbnb
(c) Amazon and eBay
(d) Google and Yahoo

4. How does AI make these scams harder to spot?
(a) It can predict when someone will fall for a scam
(b) It can hack into people’s bank accounts
(c) It can create realistic images and text in different languages
(d) It can send spam emails to millions of people

5. What does Marnie Wilking from Booking.com suggest to protect yourself from these scams?
(a) Avoiding travel altogether
(b) Sharing your financial information with strangers
(c) Using two-factor authentication
(d) Clicking on every link you receive

6. What does Jane Hawkes suggest travel companies should do?
(a) Tell people about these scams and give advice on how to avoid them
(b) Increase their prices to cover potential losses from scams
(c) Stop using artificial intelligence
(d) Close down their websites

7. What does Jane Hawkes suggest individuals should do to protect themselves?
(a) Do lots of research and check for contact details on websites
(b) Share their financial information with strangers
(c) Book separate flights and places to stay
(d) Use cash instead of credit cards for bookings

8. How is Booking.com using AI to combat these scams?
(a) By sending fake links to scammers
(b) By tricking scammers into giving away their financial information
(c) By promoting these scams to increase their profits
(d) By finding and removing fake hotels quickly

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Booking.com is a popular website for booking travel.
2. Jane Hawkes, an expert on consumers, believes that travel companies should provide more information and advice on how to avoid these scams.
3. Marnie Wilking from Airbnb suggests using two-factor authentication to protect yourself from these risks.
4. Booking package holidays and using cash for bookings can provide extra protection against travel scams.
5. AI makes these scams harder to detect because it can create realistic images and text in multiple languages.
6. Scammers target websites like Booking.com and Airbnb because they do not allow people to list their own places to stay.
7. Booking.com uses AI to quickly find and remove fake hotels before anyone books anything.
8. The decrease in travel scams is due to the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What is Booking.com warning people about?
2. How do scammers trick people into giving away their financial information?
3. What is two-factor authentication and how can it help protect you from scams?
4. How is Booking.com using AI to combat fake hotels?
5. What suggestions does Jane Hawkes give to avoid travel scams?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is Booking.com warning people about?
Booking.com is warning people about a rise in travel scams that are using artificial intelligence (AI).

2. How do these travel scams trick people into giving away their financial information?
These scams trick people by sending fake links that look real, and then the scammers either take the money and disappear or try to get more money from the person later.

3. Why do scammers target websites like Booking.com and Airbnb?
Scammers target websites like Booking.com and Airbnb because they let people list their own places to stay, making it easier for scammers to create fake listings and trick people.

4. How does artificial intelligence make these scams harder to spot?
Artificial intelligence makes these scams harder to spot because it can create realistic images and text in different languages, making the fake links and listings look more convincing.

5. What does Marnie Wilking from Booking.com suggest people do to protect themselves from these scams?
Marnie Wilking suggests using two-factor authentication and being careful when clicking on links to protect yourself from these scams.

6. How is Booking.com using AI to combat these scams?
Booking.com is using AI to find and remove fake hotels quickly, stopping the scams before anyone books anything.

7. What does Jane Hawkes, an expert on consumers, suggest people do to avoid these scams?
Jane Hawkes suggests doing lots of research, checking for contact details on websites, and booking package holidays instead of separate flights and places to stay. Using a credit card for bookings can also give you more protection.

8. Why should individuals consider booking package holidays and using credit cards for extra protection?
Individuals should consider booking package holidays and using credit cards for extra protection because it can provide more security and protection against scams. Package holidays often come with more guarantees and using a credit card can offer additional safeguards and easier ways to dispute charges if something goes wrong.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) website
(2) scams
(3) giving
(4) websites
(5) using
(6) authentication
(7) clicking
(8) causing
(9) expert
(10) checking
(11) contact
(12) booking
(13) links
(14) remove
(15) research
(16) consider
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. scams
Answer: (G) Tricks to cheat people out of money or personal information

2. artificial intelligence
Answer: (M) Technology that makes machines smart and able to do tasks that usually need human intelligence

3. financial
Answer: (B) Related to money or how money is managed

4. authentication
Answer: (N) A process to confirm that someone is who they say they are

5. scammers
Answer: (K) People who cheat others to get money or personal information

6. realistic
Answer: (D) Very close to real; almost like the real thing

7. consumers
Answer: (I) People who buy and use products or services

8. protection
Answer: (A) Keeping someone or something safe from harm or danger

9. research
Answer: (O) Careful study to find out more about something

10. package
Answer: (E) A set of items or services sold together as a single unit

11. security
Answer: (C) Measures taken to keep something safe from danger or harm

12. disappear
Answer: (J) To vanish or go away completely

13. contact
Answer: (L) Information that allows you to get in touch with someone

14. expert
Answer: (H) A person with a lot of knowledge or skill in a particular area

15. educate
Answer: (F) To teach or inform someone about something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is Booking.com warning people about travel scams?
Answer: (d) Because the scams are using artificial intelligence (AI)

2. How do these travel scams trick people?
Answer: (b) By sending fake links that look real

3. Which websites are commonly targeted by these scams?
Answer: (b) Booking.com and Airbnb

4. How does AI make these scams harder to spot?
Answer: (c) It can create realistic images and text in different languages

5. What does Marnie Wilking from Booking.com suggest to protect yourself from these scams?
Answer: (c) Using two-factor authentication

6. What does Jane Hawkes suggest travel companies should do?
Answer: (a) Tell people about these scams and give advice on how to avoid them

7. What does Jane Hawkes suggest individuals should do to protect themselves?
Answer: (a) Do lots of research and check for contact details on websites

8. How is Booking.com using AI to combat these scams?
Answer: (d) By finding and removing fake hotels quickly
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Booking.com is a popular website for booking travel. (Answer: True)
2. Jane Hawkes, an expert on consumers, believes that travel companies should provide more information and advice on how to avoid these scams. (Answer: True)
3. Marnie Wilking from Airbnb suggests using two-factor authentication to protect yourself from these risks. (Answer: False)
4. Booking package holidays and using cash for bookings can provide extra protection against travel scams. (Answer: False)
5. AI makes these scams harder to detect because it can create realistic images and text in multiple languages. (Answer: True)
6. Scammers target websites like Booking.com and Airbnb because they do not allow people to list their own places to stay. (Answer: False)
7. Booking.com uses AI to quickly find and remove fake hotels before anyone books anything. (Answer: True)
8. The decrease in travel scams is due to the use of artificial intelligence (AI). (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧