Canada Steps Up With UK And More Countries In Protecting Tourists From AI Scams As Governments Build Defences Against Deepfakes

Canadians will be joining forces with people from the UK and more countries to guard themselves against increasing AI and deepfake scams. As the use of artificial intelligence in the tourism industry continues to revolutionize, it is also making it easier for fraudsters to create sophisticated ways of attacking tourists. Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Europe, and Hong Kong have come up with measures to guard against such attacks.

For travellers, the threat has moved far beyond badly written phishing emails. Criminals can now imitate officials, clone voices, manufacture realistic videos, reproduce government-style websites and create convincing visa or travel advertisements. The result is a new security challenge: travellers can no longer assume something is genuine simply because it looks or sounds official.

Governments are responding differently. Canada is strengthening immigration fraud prevention and exploring AI-assisted detection. Britain is combining visa-fraud education with deepfake detection. Australia is warning travellers directly about AI-generated misinformation. Singapore has deployed AI-powered scam checking. India is combining regulation with action against fraudulent travel services. The UAE has developed deepfake-detection technology.

How Governments Are Building New Defences Against AI Travel Scams

The international response is developing across several layers. Some governments concentrate on preventing fake visa and immigration services. Others are building tools capable of identifying manipulated videos, synthetic voices and fraudulent documents.

Country or region	Major protection	How it can protect tourists
Canada	IRCC warnings, fraud screening, biometrics and AI experiments	Helps detect immigration and identity fraud
United Kingdom	Visa-fraud campaign and deepfake detection work	Helps travellers identify fraudulent visa promises
Australia	Scamwatch and official AI travel guidance	Warns against deepfakes, cloned voices and false travel information
Singapore	AI-powered ScamShield and ICA alerts	Checks suspicious messages, links and impersonation attempts
New Zealand	Immigration scam alerts and deepfake education	Warns travellers about fake visa-payment demands
India	Deepfake regulation and cybercrime enforcement	Targets fake tourism bookings and synthetic content
UAE	Deepfake-detection technology and fraud warnings	Helps counter manipulated media and fake service advertisements
Saudi Arabia	Deepfake guidelines and verification safeguards	Strengthens protection against impersonation and identity abuse
European Union	Official ETIAS channels and intermediary safeguards	Helps travellers avoid fraudulent travel-authorisation services
Hong Kong	Deepfake guidance and enforcement	Targets impersonation, phishing and synthetic-media fraud

Canada Puts AI Impersonation At The Centre Of Immigration Fraud Protection

Canada has emerged as an important example because Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has explicitly warned people about fraud involving artificial intelligence.

The danger includes fake videos appearing to feature officials or public figures, cloned voices, fraudulent immigration websites, misleading emails and telephone calls designed to look authentic.

Canada’s central message is simple: appearance is no longer proof of authenticity.

Travellers should independently verify immigration information through official Government of Canada sources rather than trusting videos, advertisements, social-media accounts or unsolicited communications.

The warning has particular importance for tourists who need an Electronic Travel Authorization or visitor visa. Fraudulent websites can imitate official application portals and collect passport information, banking details and payments.

IRCC also makes clear that nobody can guarantee a Canadian visa or immigration outcome. Such promises should immediately raise suspicion.

Canada Is Exploring AI To Detect Fraudulent Applications

Canada is not limiting its response to public warnings.

IRCC’s artificial-intelligence strategy has identified opportunities for AI-assisted anomaly and document-fraud detection. Such technology could potentially help identify inconsistencies and suspicious patterns involving documents, identities, biometrics and applications.

That creates an unusual security contest. Fraudsters can employ AI to make deception more realistic, while authorities can deploy advanced technology to identify irregularities more efficiently.

Human oversight remains important. AI-generated risk indicators should help investigators identify cases requiring closer examination rather than automatically determining whether someone has committed fraud.

Canada also relies on photographs and fingerprints for identity verification. Cooperation involving immigration authorities, border agencies, police and international document-issuing authorities provides another defence against fraudulent identities.

Canada Takes Action Against Immigration Fraud Beyond Deepfakes

The scale of Canada’s wider enforcement shows why AI scams are receiving increased attention.

IRCC reported that authorities investigated more than 95,000 fraud cases during 2025 and refused more than 95,000 applications involving misrepresentation.

Authorities have also strengthened visitor-visa screening and action against dishonest immigration representatives.

For tourists, these controls matter because fraudsters often sell the illusion of privileged access. They may claim they can guarantee visas, dramatically accelerate processing or obtain special treatment from Canadian officials.

Canada’s published immigration procedures give travellers something against which suspicious promises can be tested.

UK Combines Visa Scam Awareness With Deepfake Defences

The United Kingdom is tackling the problem from both immigration and technology perspectives.

Its visa-fraud awareness initiatives warn prospective travellers against people promising guaranteed visas, guaranteed employment or immigration outcomes in return for money.

The UK’s broader anti-fraud strategy recognises another emerging problem: generative AI can make impersonation dramatically more convincing.

British authorities are consequently examining technologies and frameworks capable of identifying synthetic audio, manipulated media and fraudulent documents.

This matters to tourists because a convincing video of an apparent official could previously have carried significant authority. Deepfake technology weakens that assumption.

The safest approach is therefore increasingly based on independent verification rather than visual credibility.

Australia Warns Travellers Not To Blindly Trust AI

Australia has taken an especially traveller-focused approach.

Scamwatch explains how artificial intelligence can assist criminals in creating deepfake videos, cloned voices, personalised messages, fraudulent documents and realistic copies of genuine websites.

Australia’s Smartraveller service addresses another danger that goes beyond deliberate fraud: incorrect AI-generated travel information.

AI travel tools can potentially provide outdated or inaccurate details concerning visa rules, border requirements, local laws, transportation, hotels, attractions and safety conditions.

That distinction is significant.

Tourists now face two AI-related risks. The first is malicious AI, deliberately used to steal money or information. The second is incorrect AI information, where travellers act on inaccurate generated answers without checking authoritative sources.

Australian authorities therefore encourage travellers to verify critical information before travelling.

Singapore Uses AI To Help People Detect Scams

Singapore offers one of the clearest examples of technology being deployed directly against suspicious communications.

Its ScamShield ecosystem helps users investigate suspicious messages, links and telephone numbers. AI-assisted classification can help identify possible scams using information from verified sources and previously detected fraudulent activity.

Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority has also warned about criminals impersonating immigration officers.

Some fraudsters can make themselves appear convincing through official-looking imagery, uniforms, forged documents or video communications.

Tourists should therefore pay attention to what an alleged official is asking them to do.

Requests for banking credentials, unusual transfers or urgent payments outside normal government procedures are major warning signs.

Singapore’s strategy essentially turns verification into an everyday digital-security habit.

New Zealand Targets Fake Immigration Calls And Payment Demands

New Zealand has similarly warned about criminals impersonating immigration authorities.

Victims can receive calls alleging an urgent problem with their immigration status. Fraudsters may subsequently demand money, passport information or banking details while threatening legal consequences if victims refuse.

The psychological technique is important. Scammers create urgency and fear before giving the target enough time to independently verify the story.

Immigration New Zealand’s advice removes that advantage: travellers should end suspicious calls, avoid revealing financial or personal information and independently contact legitimate authorities.

New Zealand authorities have also educated the public about deepfake technology capable of reproducing people’s faces, voices and mannerisms.

India Targets Deepfakes And Fraudulent Tourist Booking Services

India has taken action on both synthetic media and tourism-related cyber crime.

Its regulatory approach addresses AI-generated and synthetically produced content, including deceptive deepfakes. Indian authorities are also supporting research and projects involving deepfake detection.

The tourism connection is particularly important.

Cybercrime authorities have warned about fraudulent websites, advertisements and social-media accounts selling fake tourism services. These can include bogus hotels, guest houses, taxi services, holiday packages, pilgrimage arrangements and helicopter bookings.

AI could make these operations considerably more sophisticated by generating realistic photographs, reviews, advertisements, customer-service conversations and promotional material.

India’s response combines cyber-patrolling, reporting infrastructure, platform cooperation and action against fraudulent online assets.

For tourists, checking the operator before transferring money is increasingly essential.

UAE Builds Technology To Expose Deepfake Videos

The United Arab Emirates is approaching the problem from a highly technological direction.

Dubai’s Electronic Security Center unveiled SARAAB, an AI-based deepfake-detection model designed to help identify manipulated video.

The initiative demonstrates how governments can use artificial intelligence against artificial intelligence.

Authorities in the UAE have separately warned against fraudulent online accounts advertising fake services, including residency-related services and event tickets.

That has obvious implications for tourists in destinations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where visitors frequently purchase attractions, tickets, transport and experiences digitally.

Travellers should therefore use recognised platforms and verify unfamiliar sellers before providing payment information.

Saudi Arabia Builds Rules Around Synthetic Media

Saudi Arabia is strengthening governance surrounding deepfake technology.

Guidance from the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority addresses risks including impersonation, financial fraud and misinformation.

Measures such as digital watermarking, source verification, consent requirements and personal-data safeguards can make it easier to establish where digital material originated.

This becomes increasingly relevant as Saudi Arabia expands its international tourism economy and more travellers interact with digital booking, visa and visitor-service systems.

Visitors should remain cautious about unfamiliar platforms requesting passport copies, biometric information or financial data.

European Union Prepares Travellers For ETIAS Fraud Risks

Europe faces a particularly significant challenge as the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, or ETIAS, moves towards operation.

A major international travel-authorisation system inevitably creates opportunities for fraudulent intermediaries.

Criminals can construct websites that resemble an official portal, charge inflated fees or harvest personal and financial information.

The European Union therefore directs travellers towards official ETIAS channels and provides mechanisms for reporting abuse by intermediaries.

This protection is particularly important because visa-exempt visitors unfamiliar with ETIAS may search online for help and inadvertently encounter commercial or fraudulent websites.

AI could make imitation sites considerably harder to distinguish from genuine government services.

Hong Kong Strengthens Defences Against Digital Impersonation

Hong Kong has also recognised deepfakes as a cyber-security threat.

Authorities have highlighted the ability of synthetic media to facilitate identity theft, financial scams, phishing and impersonation.

Police action, public education, intelligence gathering and cooperation with digital platforms form part of the wider response.

Tourists are vulnerable because they often operate outside familiar digital environments. They may not recognise local government domains, trusted payment systems or legitimate service providers.

That uncertainty gives sophisticated scammers an opportunity.

Fake Voices Could Become One Of Travel’s Hardest Fraud Threats

Voice cloning creates a particularly difficult challenge.

A tourist could receive a call apparently coming from an immigration officer, airline employee, hotel representative or another trusted organisation.

A convincing voice can create immediate credibility.

Yet modern AI means hearing a familiar or authoritative voice can no longer establish identity.

The safest response is independent verification. Travellers should end suspicious conversations and contact the organisation through contact details obtained independently from its official channel.

The same principle applies to video.

A realistic face is no longer sufficient evidence that the person actually recorded the message.

Fake Visa Portals Create A Growing Threat For International Tourists

Visa and travel-authorisation applications offer scammers an attractive target because travellers expect to provide highly sensitive information.

A typical application can involve a full name, date of birth, passport number, nationality, travel history, address and payment-card information.

A convincing fake portal could therefore deliver both immediate financial theft and valuable identity data.

Canada’s eTA, Europe’s ETIAS and other electronic travel systems make official-source verification increasingly important.

Travellers should avoid assuming that the first search result, advertisement or social-media link represents the relevant government.

Tourists Need A New Digital Safety Rule For The AI Era

The international response reveals a fundamental change in travel security.

Previously, travellers were commonly advised to check spelling errors, poor website design and unnatural messages. Generative AI can eliminate many of those obvious clues.

A fraudulent website can now look polished. A scam email can use perfect grammar. A fake official can appear on video. A cloned voice can sound convincing. Synthetic documents can resemble legitimate paperwork.

The strongest defence is therefore shifting from “Does this look real?” to “Can I independently prove this is real?”

Canada, the UK, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, European authorities and Hong Kong are moving towards that new reality.

Their approaches vary, but the objective is increasingly similar: prevent artificial intelligence from turning trust into a weapon against travellers.

Canada is among other countries like the UK taking measures to protect tourists from AI related scams and deepfakes.

With the increasing development of deepfake technology, it will be harder for tourists to get protected without using verified government sources, digital IDs, fraud detectors, improved reporting systems, and tourists that are aware that the age of believing everything they see and hear has passed.