Beware of fraud: when the darknet travel agency books your vacation

The Falstaff Travel Editors, 27.02.2026

Criminals sell hotels, flights and travel services on the Darknet that they have booked using stolen credit card details. They lure holidaymakers with supposed bargains - and the victims end up footing the bill.

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It's hard to believe that hackers and the darknet are now also involved in vacation bookings. Criminals use stolen credit cards to book hotels or flights and sell them on illegal online marketplaces, so-called "darknet travel agencies", at knockdown prices. In this way, travelers go on vacation at the expense of others - while the injured parties receive the big bill on their credit card. This is what VPN provider "NordVPN" and travel eSim app "Saily" have just discovered as part of a multi-year study.

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