Britons need to be extra careful when booking their summer getaway, as new figures show an increase in online holiday fraud, with travelers being cheated by thousands of pounds through fake flight and hotel ads.
The number of holiday fraud increased by one third in the year to March 2022. Within this, flight reservation fraud was 13% higher than in 2021, with victims have lost an average of £ 3,000 based on cases reported to Lloyds Bank.
There has been an even greater increase in the number of hotel frauds, by 18%, with consumers typically losing £ 1,200. Fraud related to package holidays also increased by a similar amount, with an average loss of £ 2,300.
Undoubtedly, the largest increase is due to fraud related to the stay of caravans, as the number of cases has more than doubled. However, the average amount lost was in any case much lower – £ 374.
The increase in fraud with holiday reservations is the latest development in what has been described as a national ‘fraud epidemic’. The end of Covid’s travel rules led to a quick holiday booking, but Liz Ziegler, director of fraud prevention at Lloyds Banking Group, said consumers “should not give up vigilance”. If it looks too good to be true, it almost certainly does. “
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Many of the scams started with fake ads on search engines or social media, with victims clicking on a link that seemed to take them to a real site. Fraudsters also stalked real estate sites before convincing victims to transfer money directly rather than through the platform. Other tactics include sending offers by email or text message, pretending to be from a real company, the report said.
“Fraudsters are willing to cash in on any increase in bookings at the last minute,” Ziegler said. “Book directly with trusted sites or travel agencies, avoid following social media links and always pay with a card for the greatest protection.”
Travelers are advised to look for holiday companies that offer protection on Abta or Atol. Lloyds said the safest way to pay for a vacation is by debit or credit card. If a site or company wants to pay in another way, for example directly by bank account or by bank transfer, this may be a scam and it will be more difficult for you to get your money back.
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