Money is stolen between booking and payment
Most losses don't come from sophisticated hacks but from a single message: a cloned site, a bank account that has "changed", or a booking-platform account that fraudsters use to message real guests.
Fraud and distrust in Bali tourism
Wherever tourism and international visitors grow, so do the opportunities for digital crime. That is true worldwide, not just in Bali. Guests book, pay and judge your business through a screen, and fraudsters know it. Their attacks are getting more advanced, and they have to be stopped before they reach your guests. This page explains what is happening in the market, how the attacks work, and how guest trust can be protected.
Our protection pillars
Every kind of fraud and hack below is handled by one of these pillars, with one team and one report.
Managed Detection & Response (MDR)
Front-office PCs, servers, PMS and POS monitored continuously. Our analysts act when there are signs of an attack.
Counters
Cloud Email Protection
Suspicious logins, forwarding rules and fraudulent email in Google Workspace, Gmail and Microsoft 365.
Brand Protection
Cloned booking sites, look-alike domains and fake social media accounts using your name.
Security Assessment
We test your website, booking engine, network and guest WiFi the way a real attacker would, with written permission.
Counters
Cyber Assurance. A basic monthly fee for access to our expertise when you need it: questions, checking suspicious emails, and help for your IT team or vendor.
See Cyber AssuranceWhat is happening in the market
A general picture of patterns we often see in hospitality, not the story of any particular client.
Accounts taken over without the password
Data-stealing malware on one front-desk PC can grab logged-in email or social media sessions. Two-step verification doesn't help once the session itself is stolen.
Small businesses are easy targets
Villas and small hotels usually rely on an IT vendor or a friend who knows computers. Nobody watches every day, so attacks are often only noticed when a guest complains.
Threats that often target Bali tourism
Pick one to see how it works, the warning signs to watch for, and what we do about it.
Fake booking sites
Cloned sites that use your photos and name to take guests' deposits.
Read more →Payment fraud
Fake “our bank account has changed” messages that divert payments from guests, agents or suppliers.
Read more →Hijacked OTA accounts
Your partner account on a booking platform is taken over and used to ask guests for payment.
Read more →Social media takeover
Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp Business taken over or copied to run fake promos.
Read more →Staff phishing
Fake emails, messages and QR codes aimed at front office, reservations and finance.
Read more →Ransomware
Malware that locks computers and data, then demands a ransom, often at the busiest moment.
Read more →Email account takeover
Work email taken over, including session theft that gets around two-step verification.
Read more →Domain & DNS
Expired or hijacked domains, changed DNS, and others sending email in your name.
Read more →
Trust: the asset that is easiest to lose
Every scam that uses your name makes guests doubt, including your real messages and website.
Guests can't tell real from fake
Cloned sites use the same photos, prices and logo. From the guest's side both look equally convincing.
One incident costs more than one booking
Bad reviews, cancellations and agents hesitant to work with you again, even though you were a victim too.
The destination's reputation suffers
Stories about booking fraud in Bali travel abroad and make new guests more suspicious of every property.
What makes guests trust you again
- One official place that lists your website, WhatsApp number, social media accounts and bank account.
- A bank account that never changes by email or chat, and a phone confirmation for any change.
- Email that is hard to fake: SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up properly.
- Monitoring of your name, so fake sites and accounts are found and dealt with quickly.
- A team ready to help when something goes wrong, before a guest has to tell you.
Not sure your organisation is safe?
Tell us about your organisation. We look at your situation from the outside and explain what we find in plain language, without obligation.