The 2020 holiday season was no picnic, but it looks like 2021 will have its own challenges. Although vaccines are available for the vast majority of Americans who want them, we are still very much in the middle of a global pandemic, battling the latest new, concerning variant. Although things don’t quite look like we thought they would, many people have decided to travel this holiday season—including by air. In that case, it might be tempting to get (or renew) a TSA PreCheck membership, so at least one part of the process will go smoothly.
Unfortunately, scammers also see the value in PreCheck. Here’s what to know about the latest TSA PreCheck scams, and how to avoid them.
How to spot and avoid TSA PreCheck scams
Even if you’re usually able to spot a phishing email a mile away, this year, scammers have upped their game, according to former FBI analyst Crane Hassold. “Unlike other scams we see every day, these TSA PreCheck scam emails are actually quite sophisticated,” he told The Ascent in a recent interview. “The normal red flags we tell people to look out for aren’t really there.”
Even if the email isn’t filled with misspellings, grammatical errors, and slightly-off-looking versions of TSA logos, there are still other things to check in order to avoid these scams: namely, the email address of the sender, and how they’re asking for money.
“Consumers should always verify that the web address they are visiting to…
