Spot Holiday Scams Before It’s Too Late

As the New Year rolls in, many Brits are eager to shake off the winter blues by booking their next getaway. However, it’s also a prime time for fraudsters to target hopeful holidaymakers, with scams costing victims thousands of pounds each year.

Action Fraud, a reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, has warned that this is a peak period for holiday-related scams, as criminals prey on those searching for January holiday deals.

Among the victims was Natasha Shrek, who made the news after discovering just a week before her family trip to Cornwall that her booking was a scam.

With scammers becoming increasingly convincing, experts are urging travellers to take precautions before parting with their hard-earned money.

Nick Drewe, from Wethrift, shares his tips to help people stay safe and spot scams.

Research the company thoroughly

When making a booking through a holiday company, do your research before entering any personal details.

Do they have an abundance of negative reviews? Do they have any reviews at all? Have you heard of them prior to now? These are all questions you can ask yourself to get an idea of a site's reputation and legitimacy.

If in doubt after personal research, consider enlisting the help of third-party customer review sites like Trustpilot. This will often tell you everything you need to know about whether they’re legit or not.

Even if they have a great deal, if you have any legitimacy concerns, it is not worth taking the risk.

Be wary of social media holiday ads

Nowadays, we put a lot of trust in social media, whether that be receiving our news or finding services. However, these platforms are riddled with scams, including fake holiday ads.

Don’t simply click on a link from social media. Instead, take the time to do some Google research to ensure they’re trustworthy. It may add an extra few minutes to your holiday search, but protecting yourself is definitely worth the wait.

A good rule of thumb is that if you see a deal on social media that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Call the company directly

If you’re worried about a holiday site being a potential scammer, give them a call directly to discuss your interest in their holiday deal.

When doing this, make sure that the number you’re calling is verified, not the one listed on adverts or emails, as these still could be from scammers.

Additionally, check that they have a phone number altogether. Many scammers purposely don’t have one.

If you can’t get hold of a company for a general enquiry, it will be extremely difficult to reach them in the case of something going wrong.

Look out for professional email domains

Reputable companies rarely use free email services such as Gmail or Yahoo, especially for business correspondence.

Scammers typically use free email services as they’re easy to set up. So, if someone you’re chatting with about a holiday deal has one, or this is the type of email found on their website, it has strong potential of being a scammer.

If you’re suspicious that an email may be coming from a scammer, make sure to report it. This step can not only reduce the number of scam emails you receive but also help protect others and make yourself harder to target.

Don’t succumb to pressure tactics

To prevent their victims from having the time to think rationally, scammers typically use pressure tactics to force quick decisions.

These tactics aim to make victims feel like something needs to be done right now. For instance, they may claim they have a one-off deal that is due to expire shortly.

Credible organisations will never need you to make a decision right then and there. If anyone makes you feel this way, simply explain that you need to take some time to do more research.

This not only helps you to make more informed decisions and stay safe but also infuriates scammers in the process.

Verify their ABTA or ATOL membership

All genuine travel companies in the UK will be members of either the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) or the Air Travel Organisers’ Licence (ATOL), or both.

These organisations protect consumers from travel company failures and minimise holiday disruption. Without these protections, you could lose your money and have no recourse if the company fails.

Always check the official ABTA or ATOL websites to confirm the membership status of the company you’re booking with.

Avoid paying via bank transfer

Bank transfers are significantly harder to trace and reclaim in the event of something going wrong.

Be sure to avoid these and instead pay via credit, debit cards, or PayPal. These methods offer much better consumer protection.

Additionally, some credit cards offer holiday insurance as part of their terms, providing an added layer of security.