Can you imagine arriving in a small Greek village after a long flight and bus transfer, only to find out that the luxury villa you and your family were expecting to spend the next two weeks in – and spent £5,000 on – simply does not exist?
Some holidaymakers are poised to find themselves in exactly that position this summer, and many more holidays will be ruined as people realise they have been defrauded before they have left for the airport.
Holiday scams have been estimated by Action Fraud to cost British tourists £15m a year, but the true figure is likely to be much higher.
Guardian Money has put together a guide to make sure you don’t become the next victim.
Booking
As more of us now choose to put together our own holidays – organising the accommodation and flights separately – fraudsters are finding new opportunities to target victims.
So successful have they been, that none of the big online booking sites – Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo – are immune to fraud. If you are making a holiday booking, you need to be on your guard.
Accommodation
Scammers will typically post fake listings of properties, complete with glamorous photos that have been mocked up or stolen from a legitimate listing. They will then price them below the market rate and sit back and wait for the inquiries to come in.
Most accommodation websites, such as Vrbo, Airbnb and so on, have internal messaging and payments systems.
The scammers’ aim is to get you to communicate outside these, usually via email or WhatsApp. The lure is a cheaper price, or dates that you were initially told were unavailable suddenly become possible – but only if you book “direct” and pay upfront and in full via a bank transfer.
Don’t be tempted. If an owner asks to communicate outside the internal email system, walk away.
Next, you need to beware any web link that arrives in an email, however good it looks. Go to your chosen listings website and log in. If the email is genuine, the same message will be there. If it isn’t, then it’s probably a scammer.
When it comes to payments, it’s the same story. One of the reasons that Airbnb became so successful is because of its internal payments system. The host does not get paid until you check in.
Vrbo initially did not offer the same system but it now has its own “book with confidence guarantee” that promises to refund you if the listing turns out to be fraudulent.
Other big sites, such as Gites-de-France.com, now accept credit card payments that give you extra protection, so use them.
We can’t emphasise this enough: stick to the internal card-based payment system, using a credit, not debit, card for the extra protections it gives.
Several old-school accommodation providers still ask to be paid directly into the owner’s bank account. If your dream destination is one such, you face a dilemma.
If you have been there before, you trust the owner – and you have phoned them to check that it is them who you have been communicating with, rather than an impostor – then you may decide to go ahead. Be aware that if it goes wrong you will probably not see your money again.
If you are determined to book a place that requires a bank transfer, there are a few things you can do to lessen the risk. Look on Google Earth and check the property exists. Ask yourself, “is this place good value, or a bit too cheap?” And, “is the owner hurrying me into completion?”
Fraudsters invariably want to pressure you into parting with money quickly.
They will warn that the property will be let to someone else unless you commit immediately, or offer a 20% “discount for immediate payment”. These are all warning signs.
Never send a bank transfer without talking to the owner first. If you have the slightest doubt, back away. I would never send a bank transfer for a property that I had not been to before. In my view it is not worth the risk.
Package deals
Booking a package deal is generally the safer option, but you still need to be on your guard if using a small firm you haven’t heard of before.
Looking out for official logos on the travel firm’s website is the order of the day. If your supplier is covered by Atol, you will be fully protected if any of the travel providers collapse or cancel.
Check the Atol website for confirmation – you can search the company’s name or Atol number to ensure it is really registered.
It’s the same story with Abta protection of travel agents. In the past, some dodgy travel firms have displayed the Atol and Abta logos but were not part of either scheme – so check. Travellers to Mecca, and on other religious trips, should be especially wary, as scammers often target these.
If you have booked a holiday, and have been assured you are Atol protected, make sure you receive your Atol certificate.
Free flight giveaways
Received an email, text or WhatsApp message out of the blue offering an unmissable deal or giveaway with your favourite airline? It’s almost certainly a scam.
In 2022 a WhatsApp message promoting Emirates Airlines 2022 Vacation Giveaway caught out lots of people. It offered the chance to win one of 5,000 free round-trip flights. Airlines don’t give away free flights randomly, particularly in August.
After booking
If you have made a reservation on the Booking.com website, be aware that the company has been targeted by scammers.
The result is that customers have been sent messages, both as emails and in-app, stating their booking is at risk of being cancelled unless they confirm their credit card details. Because it comes from within the internal email system – and features the exact booking details – it has caught out a lot of people.
Recently, it has emerged that Expedia customers have experienced the same scam. Don’t follow the new payment links sent. Instead, call or email the hotel directly. You will probably find your booking is fine, and paid up.
Before your flight
Beware fake customer service accounts. Criminals are increasingly creating fake social media accounts imitating those of real firms or organisations, claiming to be able to help with refunds or problems.
Tweet Ryanair, for example, to ask about a flight time, and you may find yourself being contacted by a fraudster hoping to gain your personal info. They will usually ask you to send them a direct message with your details, while genuine accounts will typically direct you to a webpage, or give you a number to call.
The fake account will probably have only a handful of followers and have a slightly odd name including punctuation. If you are still in doubt, search for the real account – it will typically have lots of followers and there will probably be a link on the airline’s website – and see if it has replied to you.
When you get home
It might sound unlikely, but you are not safe from the fraudsters even after you have returned from your holiday – especially if you had a problem and contacted a travel provider to complain.
Be wary of fraudulent emails that look as if they’re from the travel company and invite you to claim a refund. They will typically link to a fake website, and are designed to steal your personal and financial information. If you are expecting such a message your guard may well be down.
It’s a similar story with phone calls. The number on your handset may appear as though it is coming from the travel firm. Get the person’s name, hang up and call the legitimate travel firm on a number that you have found yourself. If they are who they say they are they will make the payment.