The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reminding travelers to be wary of scams targeting people interested in signing up for TSA PreCheck.
TSA PreCheck has expedited the traveling process for passengers willing to pay to enroll. Certain airports and airlines across the U.S. participate in the program, which utilizes an advanced screening process to help travelers breeze through security a little bit faster.
But because it’s a paid program, it’s also an opportunity for scammers to step in and take advantage of people.
What is the TSA PreCheck Scam?
TSA PreCheck scammers will generally send out an email or text in which they claim to be representing the TSA. According to the FTC, the emails include a link to a website that looks official on the surface, but isn’t the official government website at all. Instead, it’s just scammers stealing both your money and your personal information.
Back in December 2024, experts warned that these scams were on the rise.
“The quality of the sites, obviously, scammers are getting better at using generative AI in producing more and more realistic sites,” Karin Zilberstein of Guardio told ABC 11.
How to avoid TSA PreCheck scams
The easiest way to make sure you aren’t falling victim to a TSA PreCheck scam is to always go directly to tsa.gov/precheck rather than clicking on any links. The “.gov” can’t be used by a random scammer, and confirms that the site is an official government website.
“People, because they don’t know what to expect, they’ve never enrolled before, go with these third-party companies that are not sanctioned by TSA to complete the enrollment,” TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers told SFGate last year.
It’s also useful to understand how signing up for TSA PreCheck works. While you can start the application process online, you have to physically go to an enrollment center with the required documents to finish the process. First-time applicants are also only able to pay the fee in person, so if you’re being offered the opportunity to pay online, it’s a scam.
Things are a little trickier if you’re already enrolled in TSA PreCheck and it’s time to renew. In that scenario, you are able to pay online, and the TSA will likely send you a reminder to renew via text or email. But again, the easiest way to just be absolutely sure you’re in the right place is to go directly to the TSA website and conduct your business from there.
TSA PreCheck scams have been around about as long as the program has existed, and it doesn’t seem likely they’re going anywhere, so make sure you (and the less tech-savvy people in your life) are paying attention now to avoid drama at the airport later.
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