Posted on Thursday, 18 May 2017

Holiday booking fraud rose by a fifth last year, according to a new report by the City of London Police's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

2016 saw 5,826 reported cases – a year-on-year increase of 19 per cent, according to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre.

Fraudulent transactions amounted to £7.2m last year, which equates to around £1,200 for each victim. The bogus sales involved flight tickets, online accommodation and timeshare deals.

In an effort to make the public more aware of fake holiday scams, ABTA, the City of London Police and Get Safe Online have combined their resources. Nearly 6,000 people fell victim to such crimes in 2016.

Cases rose from 4,910 in 2015 to 5,826 in 2016 – an increase of almost a fifth.

However, police and campaigners believe there are many more acts of fraud which go unreported.

26% of victims said being defrauded affected their health as well as their financial wellbeing, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of these crimes.

Indeed, 259 people said they needed medical treatment or faced bankruptcy as a result of being defrauded.

Cases leapt in summer months and around December – the most popular times to travel. With travel firms saying that people are booking early, flights and accommodation are at a premium this year, which could mean 'too-good-to-be-true' offers from fraudsters are more likely to be taken up.

Younger age groups of 20-29 and 30-39 are most easily deceived, while over 50s appear to be more cautious about booking deals which seem too cheap. Many victims have no hope of getting their money back because they paid in cash or by bank transfer – payment methods for which there is little or no recourse.

Many fraudsters allay their victims' concerns by saying they are covered by spurious insurance.

Mark Tanzer, ABTA Chief Executive, commented: "ABTA is regularly contacted by members of the public who have been caught out by increasingly sophisticated travel related frauds. We know at first-hand that the loss and shock of finding that your flight or holiday accommodation has not been booked can be very significant.

"Follow the tips we have put together in partnership with the City of London Police and Get Safe Online to avoid falling victim and to make sure your hard earned money goes towards your holiday and not lining the pockets of an unscrupulous crook."

Deputy Head of Action Fraud, Steve Proffitt said: "Action Fraud has seen a consistent rise in the number of holiday fraud reports made over the past five years. We recommend that people are thorough when researching their travel arrangements and book directly with an airline or hotel, or through a reputable agent. When deciding to deal directly with a property owner or letting agent, ask them questions about the booking, room, location and area.

"From fraudulent flights to non-existent accommodation, the impact of falling victim to holiday fraud can be far greater than the financial loss and we hope that by raising awareness, people will feel better able to protect themselves from being a victim of fraud. We urge anyone who believes they have been a victim of fraud to visit actionfraud.police.uk and report the incident."

Many of the scams were perpetrated through fake websites. John from Tamworth paid £930 for a villa holiday in the Canary Islands. Later he wished to check his flight details so he could book a rental car, but discovered that the villa website had vanished. Having researched the firm online, John found it to be a known scam site.

Stephanie from London bought a ticket to Nigeria for £410 and was sent an e-ticket, but it did not list a terminal number. Upon arrival at Heathrow Stephanie discovered there was no record of her booking. Attempts to get a refund from the company have not been successful.

Common types of holiday booking fraud

• Holiday accommodation – popular methods are fake websites and bogus social media accounts.
• Airline tickets
• Religious and sports events – popular because capacity is limited and so higher prices can be charged.
• Holiday clubs and timeshares – especially financially damaging because fees can be in the tens of thousands.

Tips for staying safe an avoiding scams online

Here we've summarised some of the main tips offered by The City of London Police, ABTA and Get Safe Online:

• Check the domain is legitimate – for example, make sure it does not switch from a .co.uk to an org.
• Check reviews – look at plenty of reviews and double-check they are in reference to the same domain.
• Check for ABTA membership – if in doubt, check the website is a member at www.abta.com
• Avoid bank transfers and cash payments – as they are hard to trace and you are unlikely to get a refund. Choose to pay by debit or credit card whenever possible.
• Examine the paperwork – carefully scrutinise receipts, invoices and terms and conditions. Be very cautious about a company that does not issue them.
• Timeshares – vet any deal with a solicitor before signing up.
• If it's too good to be true – it probably is.
• Report any issues you have at www.actionfraud.police.uk.
• Get more stay-safe booking tips at www.getsafeonline.org.

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