Salt Lake manufacturers, listen up. Summer's almost here, and while you're trying to keep your shop running full throttle through vacation season, cybercriminals are plotting their own kind of getaway—with your data, your credentials, and maybe even your company credit card.
Yep, the latest scam making the rounds isn’t some complex zero-day exploit. It’s a fake travel e-mail. And it's working like a charm.
Here’s How The Scam Works:
- A Fake Booking Confirmation Lands In Your Inbox
The e-mail may claim to be from Delta, Expedia, Marriott, or another familiar travel provider.
The logos look right. The formatting is clean. Even the support phone number might be close to legit. Subject lines are crafted to trigger quick reactions:
- "Your Trip To Phoenix Has Been Confirmed"
- "Flight Change Alert: Immediate Action Required"
- "Your Hotel Reservation Is Pending Confirmation"
- You Click A Link
The e-mail asks you to log in, confirm details, or download your itinerary.
That click takes you to a fake site. It might look like a Delta or Marriott login screen, but it’s a trap designed to capture your login credentials, credit card info, or worse—install malware on your device.
- Hackers Use That Access Against You
If you're on your company laptop, and you use the same credentials for multiple accounts (or they get access to your Outlook inbox), that single click could open the door to:
- Company credit card fraud
- Compromised ERP or email systems
- A malware infection across your network
Why It’s Especially Dangerous For Manufacturing Companies
In most shops, travel isn’t handled by a huge department. It might be your office manager, production coordinator, or even the owner handling flights, hotels, and trade show reservations. And in a place where uptime is king, folks move fast and don’t always double-check emails before clicking.
This scam thrives on that speed.
All it takes is one click from a distracted employee during a shift change, a vendor visit, or lunch break—and suddenly your network is compromised.
How To Protect Your Operation
- Verify Every Travel E-mail
Go to the source. Don’t click the e-mail. Instead, log in directly at Delta.com, Expedia.com, etc. If it’s real, it’ll be there.
- Watch The Sender’s E-mail Address
Hackers use close look-alike domains: things like “@deltacom.com” instead of “@delta.com.”
- Train Your Team
Anyone managing travel should know the red flags. These scams target busy people. Make sure your staff’s trained to slow down and verify.
- Enable MFA On All Travel and E-mail Accounts
Multifactor Authentication protects you even if someone gets your login. It's a no-brainer.
- Secure Your Business Email Accounts
Use advanced email filtering and endpoint protection to keep malicious links out of inboxes in the first place.
Don’t Let A Fake Vacation E-mail Disrupt Your Manufacturing Business
Cybercriminals are betting your team is too distracted or too busy to notice a fake reservation e-mail. Let’s prove them wrong.
Start with a FREE Cybersecurity Assessment from Qual IT. We’ll audit your vulnerabilities, shore up your email defenses, and help make sure one click doesn’t bring production to a halt.
Click here to schedule your FREE Cybersecurity Assessment
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Austin McDonald
Manufacturing IT Specialist, Qual IT
Salt Lake City, UT
