Holiday scams have sharply increased with experts warning on con artists targeting people seeking cheaper deals following the pandemic restrictions. Action Fraud reported that there was a significant surge in vacation scams in 2022-2023 with 6,457 complaints registered which resulted in customers losing more than £15.3m. In 2021-2022, the number of cases registered were 4,244 with a loss of £7.3m. Kent Trading Standards informed that criminals use social media platforms or websites with clones of famous tour operators to dupe people. Offering too-good-to-be-true deals ahead of the tourism season encourages victims to deposit an amount without doing proper research.
One such victim was a single mother Natasha Shek from Surrey who spoke about her experience. She saw an advertisement for vacation rentals on social media and spoke to the “owner” of the property on the phone. After checking the man’s ID and the utility bill for the rental, she deposited £280. As the holiday approached, he stopped responding to her messages, and she found out he wasn’t the owner of the property. “It was sickening. It felt like I had let down my family.” After reporting the fraud to the police, she was able to get her deposit back and alternative accommodation was found.
Similarly, Sam Kirkwood from Poole in Dorset had booked a property on Booking.com that turned out to be fake. It was canceled because the property had closed, and Sam was refunded all his money, including an extra £100 that he spent finding alternate lodging. Booking.com warned last year about the increase in travel scams by up to 900% in 18 months due to the use of artificial intelligence.
To avoid such fraud, one should diligently research before booking and use official and well-known booking websites. One should look for the ABTA and ATOL logos before making a deal. It is advised to avoid paying through bank transfer and instead make transactions with credit cards. Customers can check with ABTA or ATOL for a company’s information directly rather than using numbers from online advertisements. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau of the City of London Police has urged customers to report any suspicious social media advertisements or online marketplace offerings
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