Struggles in Vacationland: Consumers Wary as Travel Sector Falls Short in Guarding Against AI-Driven Deception
In a recent study by Jumio, an AI-powered identity intelligence company, it has been revealed that there is a significant lack of consumer confidence in the travel industry's ability to protect against identity fraud, particularly AI-powered attacks. The study, titled the 2025 Online Identity Study, highlights a critical trust gap in the sector's digital identity protection capabilities amid rising fraud risks.
According to the study, nearly half of global consumers (44%) lack confidence in the travel sector's protections against identity fraud, with concerns particularly heightened around AI-driven fraud that surpasses traditional identity theft methods. The threats are increasingly sophisticated, including AI-generated deepfakes, synthetic identities, and coordinated attacks that traditional fraud defenses struggle to combat.
Consumers expect faster, frictionless digital experiences without compromising privacy or security, underscoring the challenge for the travel industry to balance ease of use with robust fraud protection. Jumio's approach to addressing these threats involves advanced AI-driven identity intelligence, leveraging data from over 30 million identities, connected intelligence, biometrics, and real-time fraud signal detection to deliver dynamic, continuous identity verification rather than one-time checks.
This innovative identity intelligence platform helps recognise trusted users faster and stop fraud earlier, empowering businesses to make smarter, risk-based decisions with greater confidence. The study reveals that this is crucial, as the lack of confidence is higher among Americans, at 55%.
Bala Kumar, chief product and technology officer at Jumio, stated that consumers expect the same level of care for their personal data as they do for physical safety in the travel and hospitality industry. Kumar also mentioned that travel and hospitality businesses need new solutions and technologies to balance convenience with protection, as AI-powered scams evolve.
Interestingly, the study shows that consumers are slightly more willing to invest more time in identity verification on travel and hospitality-related platforms than in 2024, with 74% of global consumers willing to spend more time on these platforms in 2025, up from 71% in the previous year.
However, for the sharing economy, confidence falls even further, with 60% in the U.S. and 50% globally not feeling adequately protected. This lack of confidence is highlighted by the subtle shift from "a lot more time" to "a little more time" in 2025 for verifying identity on sharing economy platforms.
Kumar explained that the travel and hospitality industry should build structures and processes that customers need to feel safe, similar to evacuation plans and safe hotels rooms. This exchange of sensitive personal data, including government-issued IDs, during the booking and check-in process for travel makes consumers vulnerable to fraud during the summer travel season.
Overall, the study reveals a critical need for more intelligent, biometric, and AI-powered fraud prevention solutions to restore consumer confidence in the travel industry. As AI-powered scams continue to evolve, it is essential for businesses to adapt and provide robust, yet frictionless, digital experiences to their customers.
Ffnews.com reported on the 2025 Online Identity Study, where Jumio's AI-powered identity intelligence company revealed that nearly half of global consumers lack confidence in the travel sector's ability to protect against identity fraud, particularly AI-driven attacks. Additionally, consumers are more willing to invest more time in identity verification on travel and lifestyle-related platforms, with 74% of global consumers willing to spend more time on these platforms in 2025, as compared to 2024. According to the study, technology and travel industries need advanced, AI-driven fraud prevention solutions to restore consumer confidence.
