Holiday scams

If you book and pay for a caravan or mobile home holiday but find it doesn’t exist or doesn’t arrive once you have paid, you have been scammed.

Often these scams are advertised on auction sites or social media, offering a great deal, despite not existing. Payments are usually requested via bank transfer as opposed to using the recommended secure payment method.

Criminals also ask people to pay using fake invoices to trick them into thinking the payment is genuine. Subsequently, the criminal fails to send an invoice. The buyer is then contacted by someone pretending to be a representative from a payment service provider and receives a reference and bank account number for payment to be made into.

Ultimately, the buyer doesn’t receive their goods as payment has been made into an account controlled by a criminal.

More about purchase scams can be found by visiting Take Five to Stop Fraud. Please note Principality is not responsible for content on other external sites.

Having your flights or holidays cancelled by flight operators and travel companies can be stressful, even more so when you’re seeking a refund. Criminals use these opportunities to defraud people in several ways, including via phishing emails, ‘spoofed’ calls or social media posts or ads.

Phishing emails

Criminals send out phishing emails advising people how to claim refunds with links leading to fake websites that are used to steal personal and financial information or to infect your device with malware. These emails may appear to be from airlines, banks, travel providers or other trusted organisations using official branding to convince you they’re genuine.

Spoofed calls

Criminals call you pretending to be representatives or ’refund agents’ from impacted organisations or your bank claiming they can help you get an immediate refund if you provide them with your bank details. You may be asked to pay an upfront fee as payment for handling refund claims. Once your bank details have been shared with the criminal you fail to receive your refund and they have access to your money.

Social Media

Criminals can create fake social media accounts imitating real organisations, and claiming they can assist you with refunds/claims. The links contained in the posts divert you to fake websites that require your personal and financial information to proceed. However, once your details are entered you fail to receive any help and could subsequently become a victim of a scam.

Ensure your booking is genuine before you book your holiday, by conducting research on the company. This is because 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.

You may also receive phishing emails advertising “too good to be true” offers or prices for package holidays or flights. When you click the link, you’re directed to a fake website designed to obtain your personal and financial information.

Emails

Always use a strong password for your emails, that’s different to any of your other log ins. Criminals can hack your emails and subsequently gain access to holiday 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  Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)  to check if you're protected, and if that company is an ATOL holder.  Please note Principality is not responsible for content on other external sites.

Booking accommodation

Criminals can 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. These are offered for rent, often at discounted prices and require a deposit to be made which is never returned.

Make sure you do your own research before booking. You can check the company’s office website by searching for them on a trusted search engine such as Google. You can also read feedback from sources you trust, such as consumer websites.

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 to be true prices and perks before piling on the pressure to make you sign. Later they charge extortionate fees, and the schemes are difficult to get out of.

Before you go overseas

• make sure your card company has your up-to-date contact details, including a mobile number. If your card company detects unusual spending patterns on your card, they may contact you to check that the transactions are genuine. They may also block your card from being used until they can get in touch with you
• ensure you have your card company’s 24-hour telephone number and your policy number with you when travelling
• ensure you can trust a vendor or website before disclosing your card details. You can do this by checking the locked padlock or unbroken key symbol is showing in your browser and the website address begins with ‘http’
• only take cards that you intend to use; leave others in a secure place at home

When you are overseas

• don’t let your card out of your sight, especially when making purchases in restaurants and bars
• don’t give your PIN to anyone, – even if they claim to be from the police or your card company
• shield your PIN with your free hand when typing it into a keypad in a shop or at a cash machine
• look after your belongings at all times – especially your passports, wallet, purse, visas, bank account details, tickets and hotel booking information

When you return from holiday

• check your card and bank statements carefully for unfamiliar transactions or withdrawals
• report any suspicious activity to your credit card company or bank. If there are any, report them to your card company as soon as possible.