A staggering 180,000 Irish holidaymakers have fallen victim to fraud while booking their trip, according to new figures.
Research carried out by iReach, which provides a range of market intelligence services in Europe, found that in the past 12 months alone it has affected over 25,000 bookings.
The average amount of money per booking that each person lost was roughly €451.
Those booking train tickets online were the hardest hit at 35%, followed closely by hotel reservations at 32%.
People booking apartment online were the third worst hit, affecting 23% of correspondents.
Only 16% of respondents said they were scammed on bus tickets and even less, 15%, said they were targeted while buying flights.
Of those who were hit by fraud, 59% said they managed to rearrange a legitimate replacement booking while a further 7% claimed under holiday insurance.
The survey, carried-out in the run into the summer months, asked 1,001 adults in Ireland about their experiences with booking fraud.
Overall, research found that there were personal losses of almost €12million within the last year alone.
A spokesperson for iReach said: “Due to the rapid development of new technologies, such as the widespread internet and social media platforms, and the associated new opportunities for fraudsters, it is likely that these numbers will continue to rise in the future.”
The vast majority of people questioned (59%) said they made their booking on an online website at 59%, a smartphone at 36% or via e-mail at 20%.
When it came to payment, a massive 64% said they paid by credit card while only 20% indicated that they ever paid cash.
And 47% of those that ever experienced a booking fraud said that they have been deceived at least two times or more.
Spokeswoman for iReach, Antonia Schultz-Mosgau that modern technology has a massive part to play with booking fraud.
She said: “Due to the rapid development of new technologies, such as the widespread internet and social media platforms, and the associated new opportunities for fraudsters, it is likely that these numbers will continue to rise in the future.
“Try not rush (or be forced into a decision) and always remember, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
She said that there are a few ways to avoid being scammed: “Not using cash is critical and check if credit cards have any purchase insurance.
“If no credit card, then have a look at payment engines such as PayPal which has some protections but is not perfect.
“Finally, search for reviews on the tickets or property or even the booking site itself, as this might highlight problems faced by others. Report any problems as soon as possible.”
