Around 5,000 UK holidaymakers were left more than £7m out of pocket after being targeted by fraudsters, new figures reveal.
The victims lost an average of £1,380 each in travel-related scams last year, fraud reporting centre Action Fraud said.
More than half (53%) of the crimes involved the sale of airline tickets, with scammers particularly targeting people visiting family and friends in Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
One in four cases involved accommodation, with homes sometimes being offered without the owner's knowledge.
The total amount of money stolen last year represents an increase from £6.7m in 2017, Action Fraud said.
Travel trade organisation Abta's chief executive Mark Tanzer said: "Abta sees at first hand the damage caused by travel fraudsters after customers find out their much anticipated holiday or trip to visit family and friends does not actually exist.
"The cost to victims is not just financial. This crime causes very real emotional distress.
"Fraudsters are using increasingly sophisticated methods to target destinations and times of year when demand is high and availability limited, as they know people will be looking for good deals.
"As victims often find out just before they travel or even in resort that they have been defrauded, it can then be very difficult and expensive to obtain a legitimate replacement booking compounding the financial costs and emotional distress suffered by victims."
Spain and France are among the destinations most commonly affected by travel-related fraud.
When purchasing airline tickets and accommodation, holidaymakers are advised not to rely on a small number of online reviews.
They are also urged to be wary of paying a private individual by bank transfer.
Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, said: "There is a startling emotional impact of falling victim to holiday fraud bringing the feeling of embarrassment and disappointment to those we love, so we want to ensure that people feel better able to protect themselves.
"We know that fraudsters are increasingly using more sophisticated ways to trick their victims, which is why it is important that you do your research when making travel arrangements."
