This week, we were alerted by a message we received from JGU Mainz. The university has been using our software Converia for conferences and meetings for a long time, so the name Converia is familiar to many.
Several speakers at a JGU event were recently contacted by an alleged hotel provider called Converia Travel. They were asked to book accommodation for the duration of the conference and were directed to a website where they were prompted to enter their payment details.
If anyone falls for this, they don't get a hotel room, but their money is gone.
We want to make it clear: There is absolutely no connection between Converia Travel and Converia.
Converia never contacts conference speakers independently to sell offers. We also do not offer accommodation to attendees.
These providers have been appearing more frequently in the context of international conferences over the last few weeks. In addition to Converia Travel, they often call themselves Global Travel Team, Global Travel Experts or Travel Housing Team. There may be other names as well.
We suspect that the name Converia Travel was chosen deliberately, as the fraudulent contact attempts relate almost exclusively to academic conferences, intended to build trust.
Unfortunately, we cannot stop this in the short term. Converia Travel claims on its website to be based in London. Sadly, our trademark protection only applies to software within the European Union.
For now, all we can do is urgently warn organizers and attendees.
How the scam works
The approach is similar in many cases:
First, Converia Travel contacts conference speakers via email. The emails often look very professional and give the impression that they are genuinely associated with the conference.
Sometimes the conference logo even appears, or they claim to be an official partner of the organizers. It is possible that the email also contains a link to the actual conference website.
The recipients are then redirected to a deceptive website. It resembles a booking platform where speakers are asked to select accommodation.
Payment is requested at the same time as the "booking." This is a typical phishing scheme.
Our clear recommendation regarding Converia Travel
If attendees receive such an email, they should react as follows:
- Do not reply.
- Do not click any links.
- Do not enter any personal data.
Please actively alert your participants to this scam.
Use your conference website or a newsletter to point out that these emails are currently circulating. Ask your participants to be cautious.
Provide an email address (e.g., the official conference address) that anyone who has received a suspicious email can contact.
This is how you protect your conference participants and prevent fraudulent providers from succeeding. The sooner this becomes common practice, the sooner this scam will hopefully come to an end.
