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The scam that uses AI to exploit your holiday photos
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- DeepHorus
Holidaymakers who post pictures on social media are being targeted by a new scam that uses artificial intelligence to identify where the photos were taken, enabling criminals to craft convincing phishing messages. McAfee researchers found that freely available AI models can pinpoint the location of travel images with high accuracy, giving fraudsters the geographic credibility needed to deceive victims.
The scam typically begins when a user posts images from a trip. Days later, they receive a text claiming unusual activity on their bank card while in that location. Because the victim never publicly shared their itinerary, the message seems legitimate, and they may click a malicious link to “verify” their details.
McAfee tested two AI models on more than 21,000 travel images. One identified the correct location in 91% of cases, the other 87%. The company said the models relied on visual clues such as architecture, signage, lighting, and landscape details, meaning photos need no tags or metadata to reveal their whereabouts.
“What AI does is give context … so that makes the scam, makes the threats credible,” said Vonny Gamot, head of EMEA at McAfee. Criminals can then claim the victim’s card was flagged in a specific city or reference a particular hotel stay, making their message far more persuasive.
The researchers demonstrated the ease of identification with everyday images. A photo of a river and trees was correctly pinpointed as Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, while a picture of tulips with blue flowers was identified as the Keukenhof gardens in the Netherlands. Even without recognizable landmarks, AI can often determine the country, which is enough for scammers.
McAfee advises users to delay posting holiday photos until after returning home and to restrict social media visibility to known contacts. It also warns against acting on urgent messages, urging people to avoid clicking links in texts and instead contact banks directly through official websites or card numbers.
As AI continues to improve, such location-sniffing scams are likely to become more prevalent and harder to detect. Consumers must remain skeptical of unsolicited messages and protect their personal information, even in seemingly innocent photographs.
