H LIDAY BOOKING SCAMS
For many, our holidays are the most important part of any year. Whether it be that dream holiday you have been saving years for, or just a short break to get away from it all, we all get excited about going away. More often than not, we end up booking our entire holiday online. Despite this being a quick and easy way to book everything, it is a prime opportunity for criminals to take advantage of your desire to get away. Criminals often set up fake websites offering ‘cheap travel deals’ which are used to obtain your money and information. Websites may look like that of genuine organisations but subtle changes in the URL can indicate that they are fraudulent. You may also be directed away from secure payment channels to ‘avoid missing a booking’ to pay via bank transfer or through fake payment pages. The tickets advertised may be fake or not exist.
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You may also receive phishing emails advertising “too good to be true” offers or prices for package holidays or flights. When the link contained is clicked, you’re directed to a fake website designed to obtain your personal and financial information.
Flights and packages If you’re booking a package holiday through a company, you can check if they’re an ABTA member by looking for the logo on their website. Furthermore, you should go to the ABTA website and verify their membership. If the package also includes flights, you can go to the ATOL or Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) website to check if you are protected, and if that company is an ATOL holder. Booking accommodation Criminals can expertly design websites that seem professional and convincing, using images of luxury villas and apartments that don’t exist to convince you they’re trusted and genuine. Make sure you do your own research before booking. Before paying online or providing any confidential details, type in the website address you know to be correct (instead of following a link) and ensure the payment page is secure (begins with ‘https’ and has a locked padlock in the browser window frame). Timeshare scam Criminals make offers of free holidays to entice people to sign up to their timeshare scams. With this scam criminals encourage you to attend seminars where you are pressured into committing to a timeshare scheme or holiday club and asked to sign a contract. The criminals offer too-good-tobe-true prices and perks before pilling on the pressure to make you sign. Later they charge extortionate fees and the schemes are difficult to get out of.
Find information on booking and paying for holidays and travel online with safety and confidence.
Top tips for booking your holiday • Check reviews on Tripadvisor or similar sites. • Check the accommodation actually exists by finding it on Google Maps. • If you’re booking accommodation via Airbnb, always keep communications and payment on the Airbnb platform, and don’t be tempted off it as this may indicate an attempt at fraud. • Never pay by bank transfer. Paying by credit card means more chance of getting your money back if something goes wrong. • Check that travel agents and tour operators you book holidays and travel through are members of trade associations such as ABTA or ATOL, by checking on these bodies’ websites. • Enter the address of the website you plan to book a holiday through, at www.getsafeonline.org/ checkawebsite to check if it is likely to be legitimate or fraudulent. • Keep confirmations and payment receipts, and check bank / credit card statements for irregular entries.
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