A new travel scam to watch out for before Thanksgiving

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Thanksgiving Day is two weeks away, the countdown to Christmas continues, and if you have plans to travel out of state for the holidays -- you better watch out!

"About one in four Americans fall victim to travel scams, and almost 25 percent of them fall victim to more than a thousand dollars," said Abhishek Karnik, Head of Threat Research for online security company, McAfee.

In fact, the Federal Trade Commission just issued a warning about a new scam tactic, targeting air travelers under the guise of TSA PreCheck. The process is meant to make it a little easier for flyers, helping them get through security checkpoints and screenings faster, but scammers are trying to take advantage of the speedy system by sending emails to consumers that look like they're from the TSA, asking you to click on a link to "Enroll In" or "Renew" your TSA PreCheck.

Instead, it takes you to a phony site and before you know it, they have your name and credit card information. That is something McAfee said it sees all too often. "Phishing is always number one on that list, where, you know, you get redirected to some sort of a fake booking travel link... they either get your credit card information, or they get you to purchase something that you didn't intend to," Karnik said.

In reality, if you are applying for TSA PreCheck for the first time, you don't pay the application fee online. That's something you do in-person at a TSA Enrollment Center. If you're already enrolled, you can renew and pay in-person or online. But Karnik said your safest option is to go to the website yourself.

"You know, if you are presented with a travel opportunity, or a travel discount, you might want to be a little cautious, because generally travel starts with you, wanting to go and look for something as opposed to these deals coming to you," said Karnik. "So, I think those are, those are some of things that you want to be cautious about when you're planning travel."

Now, if you are already enrolled in PreCheck, be aware that the real TSA does send renewal reminder emails. But that's why it's important to not click on any links that come to you. Rather, start your renewal at the TSA's official website.