Internet scammers con British holidaymakers out of £2.2m

[enaid]

British holidaymakers were conned out of £2.2m last year through internet-based scams, a report has shown.
Criminal groups have targeted online booking firms in order to swindle money from unsuspecting customers.
Many only discover they have been duped when they arrive at their accommodation and find no booking has been made.
The majority of those who had been defrauded paid by methods such as bank transfer or cash with no means of getting their money back.

Travel association ABTA, police and the government's Get Safe Online service have joined forces to urge potential fraud victims to exercise caution when booking a holiday over the internet following the report from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.
The report reveals there were 1,569 cases of holiday booking fraud reported to the police's ActionFraud team last year, with one person losing £62,000 in a scam relating to a bogus timeshare scheme.
A third of victims said the fraud had a substantial impact on their health as well as their financial wellbeing and 167 victims said the impact of the crime was so severe they needed medical treatment.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: "Holiday fraud is a particularly distressing form of fraud as the loss to the victim is not just financial but it can also have a high emotional impact.
"Many victims are unable to get away on a long-awaited holiday or visit to loved ones and the financial loss is accompanied by a personal loss."

Those most commonly targeted are aged 30-49, with spikes of reported fraud in the summer months and in December.
Only a small proportion of those who were defrauded paid by credit or debit card, where some form of redress is available.
The most common types relate to fake plane tickets, hacking accounts, bogus adverts online, and websites.
Sports and religious trips have often been particularly targeted because of the limited availability of accommodation and tickets and consequent higher prices, according to the study.
In 2014 the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and World Cup in Brazil were targeted, with numerous people having paid for non-existent accommodation or tickets.
In another case, a family travelled for five hours for a week-long break in Cornwall - at a cost of £1,500 - only to find the website had been hacked and the bank details altered, meaning they were unable to use the accommodation or retrieve the money.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Clark, the City of London Police head of economic crime, said: "The nature and scale of holiday fraud means police action alone can only be part of the solution to this problem.
"Online shoppers must be vigilant and conduct all the necessary checks before booking a break to ensure the conmen are kept at bay."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32272863

[enaid]

Re: Internet scammers con British holidaymakers out of £2.2m

To reduce the chances of becoming victim, the CAA has the following advice:

• Check the ATOL Protected logo is legitimate.
  • All ATOL Protected logos should include a reference number which is four to five digits long, and may include a T at the start. If this number is not included, it could be a bogus travel firm.
  • Input this reference number and/or the online travel company name, into the Check an ATOL database, which has a list of all ATOL registered companies.
  
  
• Make sure you receive an ATOL certificate. On booking your flight-inclusive package, or flight plus accommodation, all ATOL protected UK travel companies must now issue an ATOL certificate as soon as the consumer pays any money towards their trip.
• Don’t part company with your money if you have any doubts about an online travel company.

Bogus websites & the signs to look out for

• The ATOL Protected Logo may not include the four or five digit licence reference number.
• Unusually cheap flights advertised to all parts of the world.
• Poor contact details. Advertised telephone is not answered and has few if any other contact details, such as an address.
• No online payment facility and customers are asked to pay for their flight bookings by bank transfer.
• Once a deposit/fee has been paid, consumers are told the cost has gone up or asked to pay extra.
• The consumer may receive a document referring to a reservation rather than a confirmed flight ticket or does not receive anything at all.
• And just because a website ends in .co.uk or a contact telephone number has a London dialling code, this does not always mean they are UK based – both of these can be operated from abroad.

http://www.tradingstandardsecrime.or...booking-scams/

[JaneNov]

Re: Internet scammers con British holidaymakers out of £2.2m

Those most commonly targeted are aged 30-49

Wonder why those age groups???
:tongue2: