More than £15m was lost to holiday fraud last year, as holidaymakers fell victim to scam tactics such as fake bookings before they left the UK and tourist cons when they arrived at their destination.
Nearly 6500 people reported falling for a travel con, with each one losing an average of £2372 per victim -with nearly a third lost in the peak holiday season of May-August.
Be careful when you make a booking as clever fraudsters are creating clones of websites like Airbnb and Booking.com and then advertising deals and offers on social media. The links, offers, and websites look real, so you think you're giving your payment details to the legitimate sites. You'll often even receive a confirmation email of your booking, so you won't suspect anything until you try and check-in for your flight, or even arrive at your hotel, and they have no record of your booking.
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Experts are warning travellers looking for a bargain break to be careful with links that come from social media. The cloned sites will usually be very difficult to detect; there might just be a small change in the URL from the original site that you don’t notice when clicking on a link. Verify the offers you’re seeing are correct by manually typing in the legitimate websites address and going through there.
However, the scammers don't stop when you leave the UK, with many tourists reporting they have been taken in by criminals who strike when families are relaxing on holiday. Wizz Air travel expert Andras Rado has revealed the top holiday scams to watch out for this summer
Intercepting Twitter complaints
People often Tweet companies with complaints such as lost luggage, and criminals have started to scam people using social media. They use fake customer service Twitter handles to respond to complaints, asking for contact details and then demanding payment for their lost luggage to be sent to them. But of course, the luggage never arrives and the scammers may even come back for more, asking for extra money, claiming further problems have delayed the luggage.
Remember that no airline would ask for money to be sent in order to return lost luggage. If you lose your suitcases, ensure you get in contact with official customer services with complaints.
Overcharging taxis
One of the most common places to get conned when travelling is in a taxi, with scammers claiming that the meter is broken and making up a huge figure when you get to your destination, or the meter going up much faster than it should. They’re assuming that you don’t know how much the ride should actually cost so they can charge you as much as they like, so make sure you are one step ahead by asking your hotel or a local for a rough idea of how much you should be paying.
Pickpocket signs
Pickpockets often lurk in areas that have signs warning you of their presence. When you see a sign saying “warning: pickpockets operate in this area”, your first instinct is to pat your pockets that contain your valuables like your phone and wallet to make sure they’re still there – but this conveniently shows thieves exactly where to look. Make sure you keep valuables separate from each other so pickpockets can’t get everything in one go and keep bags in front of you rather than behind you. Be especially careful on public transport as it’s very easy for people to grab things and jump off the train before you’ve even noticed anything is missing.
Bracelet scam
The bracelet scam is common in markets and on beaches. It works by scammers approaching tourists and putting a friendship bracelet around their wrists, often tied so that the only way they can be removed is by cutting them. They then demand payment for the bracelet, whether you want it or not. Not only do you have to give them money for an item you didn’t want, but it can also often be a technique used to pick your pockets while you’re distracted. Say a firm no if someone tries to give you anything in the street, and never let anyone put a bracelet or necklace on you, no matter how friendly they seem.
Fake petitions
Common in highly touristy cities, you’ll be approached by someone, or sometimes a group of people, with a clipboard asking you to sign a petition. They’re betting on you not being fluent in the language, and can keep talking until you agree to sign, without really knowing what it is – but then they ask for a cash donation. They can sometimes be aggressive, demanding that you give them money for their cause, and this can often be a distraction technique to pick your pockets while you’re trying to saying no. Just keep walking if someone approaches you asking for signatures, be firm and say no, and keep an eye on your belongings.
