Holiday scams alert: fake flights and phantom hotels

Holidaymakers are being warned by Lloyds Bank to watch out for travel scams, after it saw a 7% spike in relevant fraud reports in the past year. 

It said nearly half of holiday scams affecting its customers start on Facebook and Facebook Marketplace.  

Its customers lost £765 on average (up 4% in the year to February 2024) and those aged 35 to 44 made up over a quarter of victims. 

Here we explain the tactics to avoid and simple steps to stay safe when booking your holiday this year. 

Most common holiday scams

Based on analysis of holiday scams reported by Lloyds Banking Group customers between November 2021 and March 2024, the following most common scams were:

Fake flight ticketsCaravan purchase scams Fake holiday home or cottage rentals Booking scams 

Lloyds Bank also told Which? that some of the most commonly reported holiday scams include fake camping trip bookings and the purchase of camping items such as tents. 

7 tips to stay safe from holiday scams 

Lloyds Bank offers the following advice to avoid scams when booking your next holiday:

Purchase tickets and hotel stays from trusted retailers or, even better, direct from the airline or hotel. 

When booking stays, look for valid reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor. Always use your debit or credit card as this helps to protect your money should something go wrong. 

When booking stays through websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com, only pay through their systems. Do not transfer any money directly to the host.

If you’re booking a hotel through a third party – like Booking.com – and receive what appears to be a message from the hotel asking for more money, after the original booking has been confirmed, do not pay this without contacting Booking.com or the hotel directly. 

Be cautious on social media. If buying a caravan or motorhome, always see the item in person before handing over any form of deposit.

 

Pay attention to warnings. Your bank is likely to provide a warning when you set up a new payee or make an unusual payment. Be sure to follow any advice provided. 

source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/holiday-scams-alert-fake-flights-and-phantom-hotels-aFmuV6b137JT