TSA warns of email scam ahead of projected record-breaking Thanksgiving travel

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — As many are preparing for the holiday season, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is projecting record-breaking travel for Thanksgiving next week.

The agency is prepared to screen more than 18 million people from Tuesday, November 26, to Monday, December 2, a 6% increase from last year. Passenger volumes reached a record high in 2024, too, with a 17% increase from 2022.

TSA believes the three busiest days will be Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Sunday after the holiday. July 7 was the single busiest travel day ever, when three million people were screened at airports nationwide. TSA believes that the daily record could be broken next week, too.

As the holiday season begins, the FTC is also warning travelers about a TSA PreCheck scam in your email.

Fraudsters posing as federal agencies are sending emails asking for money for an application fee. TSA says they will never ask for money over email, and officials are urging people not to click links in emails.

Ken Colburn with Data Doctors said you must approach the internet with a “guilty before proven innocent” mentality.

He recommends manually entering the website in your web browser and not clicking the link in your email. Colburn says the scammers are getting clever using artificial intelligence.

“They’re getting so good and the introduction of AI as a scamming tool, and they repeatedly improve them on what causes people to click on links. They’re doing this because there is real money involved,” he explained.

If you see one of these emails, the FTC urges you to report them here.

For holiday travel tips, visit tsa.gov/travel/travel-tips/2024.

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