Brit holidaymakers were conned out of £7m last year – here’s how you can spot the travel scams
Airline tickets and accommodation are the most common cons
A NEW report has revealed that over 5,000 holidaymakers were left out of pocket by travel and holiday related scams last year.
Their loses came to a staggering £7 million - an average of £1,380 per person.
The report from travel association ABTA, Action Fraud and Get Safe Online revealed that the number of reported cases increased by 14 per cent compared to the previous year.
In 2017, there were 4,382 people who fell victim to a travel and holiday related scam.
Their loss totalled £6.7 million.
The report also identified three key scam - here's what you need to know:
Sale of airline tickets
The most common scam was related to the sale of airline tickets - 53 per cent of victims reported a crime in this category.
The report said that the crimes were reported throughout the year, but the month of August saw a particularly big spike, with £425,000 lost to scammers.
But it's not just holidaymakers that are targeted - family and friends of those living in Africa and Indian subcontinent are also particularly vulnerable.
There are several scams but one of the most common one involves fraudsters targeting these groups with incredible deals, either online or via phone, which don't actually exist.
Fraudsters will also offer free flights on social media platforms in order to steal personal information.
In the past, there have been scams offering fake tickets for EasyJet, Ryanair, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Accommodation fraud
Of the scams reported, 25 per cent involved accommodation, with most of the scams reported in October.
Many of the properties used to scam holidaymakers are based in France or Spain.
It's thought that most of these scams took place during the peak holiday season but were only reported afterwards.
In most cases, holidaymakers are booking holiday villas on scam websites.
They are either listing villas that don't exist or villas that do but are offered without the owner's knowledge.
Some of the websites look incredibly realistic and some even have fake reviews to bolster their authenticity.
Once victims go to book, they are asked to send money via direct transfer and end up losing their money.
How I lost thousands to fraudsters
Angus Kennedy and his family were one of thousands of people who were scammed on their holiday booking.
The 54-year-old’s wife Sophie had booked a villa in Majorca on what looked like a reputable website for a surprise trip over Easter.
She had read various reviews, so missed the warning signs when she was asked to pay for the holiday rental by bank transfer.
The family had arranged an airport transfer, and it was only when that didn’t turn up that they realised that they might have been scammed.
Angus and his family managed to track down the villa but it turned out that the owner had no idea that his home was being rented out.
He kindly let the family stay for a night, but they were effectively left homeless for the rest of their holiday.
The family managed to find another villa on the island through a different booking site, which turned out to be far from what was described as well.
Finally, they were able to settle into a third villa to enjoy the rest of their holiday.
The entire experience left them over £4,000 out of pocket.
Angus said the nightmare holiday left them with no savings and he isn’t sure they will get any of their money back.
He now advises any Brits looking to book their next break to take their time and do the research.
If their gut feeling is that there is an issue with the booking, or if the deal is too good to be true, don’t go through with it.
Perhaps most important of all, never pay by bank transfer.
Religious trips
ABTA has seen a rise in the number of people targeted for religious trips - some are even offered by high street travel agents who aren't qualified.
The trips can cost upwards of £10,000 as they're so specialist.
Those going on Haj trips are particularly attractive to fraudsters.
How to avoid travel and holiday scams
Action Fraud, ABTA and Get Safe Online have published advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of holiday booking fraud – and on how victims should go about reporting it.
- Stay safe online: Check the web address is legitimate and has not been altered by slight changes to a domain name – such as going from .co.uk to .org
- Do your research: Don’t just rely on one review - do a thorough online search to check the company’s credentials. If a company is defrauding people there is a good chance that consumers will post details of their experiences, and warnings about the company.
- Look for the logo: Check whether the company is a member of a recognised trade body such as ABTA. If you have any doubts, you can verify membership of ABTA online, at .
- Pay safe: Wherever possible, pay by credit card and be wary about paying directly into a private individual’s bank account.
- Check paperwork: You should study receipts, invoices as well as terms and conditions. Be very wary of any companies that don’t provide any at all. When booking through a Holiday Club or Timeshare, get the contract thoroughly vetted by a solicitor before signing up.
- Use your instincts: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Report it: Victims should contact Action Fraud via .
- Get free expert advice: For further advice on how to stay safe when booking or researching travel online, go to
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Sun Online Travel previously revealed some of the popular holiday scams.
In Palma for example, there are ten common scams ruining holidays for tourists.
Earlier this year, Action Fraud of a rise in phone-based travel scams.