Can you imagine arriving in a small Greek village after a long flight and bus journey, 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 doesn’t actually exist?
Some holidaymakers are set to find themselves in exactly this situation this summer, and many more holidays will be ruined because people realize they’ve been scammed before heading to the airport.
Holiday scams are estimated by Action Fraud to cost British tourists £15 million a year, but the real figure is likely to be much higher.
Guardian Money has put together a guide to make sure you don’t become the next victim.
Reservation
As more of us choose to bundle our own holidays – organizing accommodation and flights separately – scammers are finding new opportunities to target victims.
They have been so successful that none of the major online booking sites such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo are immune to fraud. If you’re booking a holiday you need to be careful.
Accomodation
Scammers often post fake property listings complete with glamorous photos that have been spoofed or stolen from a legitimate listing. They will then price them below market rate and sit back and wait for the questions to come.
Most accommodation websites like Vrbo, Airbnb and others have built-in messaging and payment systems.
Apart from these, the aim of the scammers is to get you to communicate, usually via e-mail or WhatsApp. The bait is a cheaper price, or the dates you were initially told were unavailable suddenly become possible – but only if you book “direct” and pay in advance and in full via bank transfer.
Don’t be tempted. If an owner wants to communicate outside of the internal email system, walk away.
Next, you need to be careful with any web link that arrives via email, no matter how good it looks. Go to the listings website of your choice and log in. If the email is genuine, the same message will be there too. If not, he’s probably a scammer.
When it comes to payments, it’s the same story. One of the reasons Airbnb is so successful is its built-in payment system. The host is not paid until you check in.
Vrbo didn’t initially offer the same system, but now has its own “trust-guaranteed book” that promises to give you a refund if the listing turns out to be fake.
Other major sites such as Gites-de-France.com now accept credit card payments, giving you extra protection; so use these.
We can’t stress this enough: stick to the built-in card-based payment system, using a credit card rather than a debit card for the extra protections it provides.
Many old-school accommodation providers still require payments directly into the owner’s bank account. If your dream destination is such a place, you face a dilemma.
If you have been there before, trust the owner and have called him to check if the person you are contacting is him and not a fraudster – then you can decide to proceed. Remember that if things go wrong, you’ll probably never see your money again.
If you’re determined to book somewhere that requires a bank transfer, there are a few things you can do to reduce the risk. Look on Google Earth and check if the property is available. Ask yourself: “Is this a good value, or a little too cheap?” And “is the owner rushing me to complete it?”
Scammers always want to pressure you to release your money as soon as possible.
They will warn that the property will be rented to someone else unless you commit immediately, or offer a “20% discount for immediate payment.” These are all warning signs.
Never send a money order without speaking to the owner first. If you have the slightest doubt, step back. I would never send a wire transfer for a property I haven’t been to before. In my opinion, it’s not worth the risk.
Package deals
Booking a package deal is usually a safer option, but you still need to be careful if you’re using a small company you haven’t heard of before.
Looking at the official logos on the travel company’s website is the job of the day. If your supplier is covered by Atol, you will be fully protected in case any of the travel providers crashes or cancels.
Check the Atol website for confirmation; You can look up the company name or Atol number to make sure it is actually registered.
Same story with Abta protecting travel agents. Some dodgy travel companies have displayed Atol and Abta logos in the past but were not part of either scheme; so check it out. Those traveling to Mecca and other religious excursions should be especially careful, as scammers often target these places.
If you have booked a holiday and are sure you are Atol protected, make sure you get your Atol certificate.
Free flight gifts
Did you receive an email, text or WhatsApp message out of the blue offering a can’t-miss deal or giveaway with your favorite airline? This is almost certainly a scam.
In 2022, a WhatsApp message promoting the Emirates Airlines 2022 Holiday Raffle caught the attention of many. It offered a chance to win one of 5,000 free round-trip flights. Airlines do not randomly give free flights, especially in August.
After booking
If you booked through the Booking.com website, be aware that the company is a target for scammers.
As a result, customers were sent both email and in-app messages warning them that their bookings risked being canceled unless they confirmed their credit card information. It caught the attention of many people because it came from the internal email system and contained full booking details.
It was recently revealed that Expedia customers were also subjected to the same fraud. Do not follow new payment links sent. Instead, call or email the hotel directly. You will probably find that your reservation is good and paid.
Before your flight
Beware of fake customer service accounts. Criminals are increasingly creating fake social media accounts that mimic the accounts of real companies or organizations, claiming they can provide refunds or help with problems.
For example, if you tweet Ryanair to ask for a flight time, you may find that you are contacted by a scammer hoping to get your personal information. They will usually ask you to send a direct message with your information; Real accounts usually direct you to a web page or give you a number to call.
The fake account will likely only have a handful of followers and have a slightly odd name, including punctuation. If you’re still in doubt, call the real account – it usually has a lot of followers and will probably have a link on the airline’s website – and see if it responds to you.
when you get home
It may seem unlikely, but you’re not safe from scammers even after you return from your holiday; especially if you experienced a problem and contacted a travel provider to complain.
Be wary of fake emails that appear to be from the travel company inviting you to request a refund. They often 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 be down.
It’s a similar story with phone calls. The number on your phone may appear to be from a travel company. Get the person’s name, hang up, and call the legitimate travel company by calling the number you found. If they are who they say they are, they will pay.