Money can disappear in minutes: Israelis warned about scammers

Ahead of the Sukkot holiday in Israel, scammers have become more active, targeting tourists. Fraudsters create fake accommodation booking sites, copying well-known services, and use psychological pressure to force victims to transfer deposits or enter bank card details. Experts warn about phishing pages, low prices, and demands for urgent payment via Bit or PayBox.

In the run-up to the Sukkot holiday in Israel, there has been a sharp increase in scammers targeting tourists booking accommodation. Fraudsters create fake websites that are outwardly indistinguishable from real booking services—with logos, photos, reviews, and order forms. The scheme relies on psychological pressure: the victim is rushed, citing high demand or another customer, and is required to immediately make a deposit via Bit, PayBox, or bank transfer to a private individual. A separate scheme targets owners of business accounts on social media: they are offered cooperation and asked to log in to a fake page to steal the account. Experts advise checking the website address, comparing prices with the market, contacting property owners directly, and blocking the card at the slightest suspicion.