Holiday sickness claim companies have targeted nearly TEN MILLION Brits
One in five Brits have been contacted about claiming compensation for holiday sickness - but most are unaware that a false claim could lead them in prison
THE number of Brits being approached about making a compensation claim for being sick while on holiday is on the rise.
As many as 9.5 million people have been contacted by scammers, finds the Association Of British Travel Agents.
Stats from a recent YouGov survey of British adults found that almost one in five people have been contacted about claiming compensation for holiday sickness.
Most people said they were approached over the phone (14 per cent), with others contacted by text, email, on social media and even in person at airports or while on holiday.
The news comes after The Sun outed holidaymakers Leon Roberts and Jade Muzoka for making sickness claims totalling £58,000.
The couple are now facing up to three years in jail after claiming they were bedridden with vomiting and diarrhoea and suing their hotel and tour operators Thomson, now known as TUI.
However, just days after returning home they uploaded 79 snaps on Facebook and boasted of their sunshine break.
Muzoka said that shortly after their break they were approached by a man who asked if they had been ill while they were away.
She added: “I said yes and he said he would sort out the rest. I did not really see it was an issue. He told me what to write on the papers, he encouraged us and said what we should claim. Alarm bells started ringing.”
The new figures are released as part of ABTA’s ‘Stop Sickness Scams’ campaign which highlights that false claims cost the travel industry tens of millions of pounds.
ABTA is calling for the urgent closure of a loophole in the law that allows scammers to make more money in fees from sickness claims abroad than they can from personal injuries in the UK.
Travel bosses say that claims management companies encouraging people to make a false claim, but fail to mention the risks involved.
The new research finds seven in ten people don’t know that making a false claim for holiday sickness could result in a prison sentence in the UK or abroad.
But travel companies are starting to get serious about prosecuting people that they believe are making claims.
What is being done to stop Sickness Scammers?
ABTA’s Stop Sickness Scams campaign is supported by destination governments, tourist boards and ABTA Members, including Thomas Cook, TUI and Jet2holidays.
ABTA is reminding people that if they believe they have experienced food poisoning as a result of eating in a hotel, to contact the hotel or tour operator immediately.
They also advise anyone encouraged to make a fake or exaggerated claim to report the company to the .
In October 2017, a couple from Merseyside received a prison sentence after being found guilty of making a fraudulent sickness claim - Deborah Briton was sentenced to nine months and her partner Paul Roberts was jailed for 15 months.
Since 2013, there has been a 500 per cent rise in the number of compensation claims received by travel companies for holiday sickness, but the number of sickness reports to hotels in resorts has remained the same.
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The problem is only associated with UK holidaymakers – travel firms in other countries have not experienced an increase.
The findings are published today, six months after the Government announced its plans to clampdown on the rise in false sickness claims.
ABTA wants the Government to make sure the new measures are in place in time for the main 2018 holiday period, and for the new Financial Guidance and Claims Bill to include a ban on cold calling for personal injury claims.