On 16 and 17 June an international law enforcement operation against airline fraudsters took place at 140 airports across the world, resulting in the detention and investigation of 130 individuals that were found in possession of airline tickets bought using stolen credit card details. According to statistics the most rapid increase in fraudulent transactions on […]
Month: June 2015
Hotels.com customers targeted by phishing scam
Hotels.com customers have been caught up in a phishing scam using fraudulent emails masquerading as legitimate messages regarding their bookings. Part of Expedia group, Hotels.com allows customers to search for and book rooms at hotels across the country online or by phone. The details of the scam are currently unclear, other than the fact it […]
Fake Turkey e-visa warning issued
Travellers to Turkey are being warned to only obtain e-visas from the official Republic of Turkey website ahead of the summer peak. The alert from Abta, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Get Safe Online was issued after up to 100 UK holidaymakers purchased fake e-visas. This was only discovered on arrival in Turkey at […]
25% Jump in Cross-Border Fraud on UK Debit Cards in 2014
The percentage of fraudulent transactions occurring outside the UK in 2014 on UK debit cards rose 25 percent in a massive sample of cards studied by analytic software firm FICO. Fraudulent cross-border transactions accounted for nearly a third (31 percent) of all fraudulent transactions on 52 million active UK debit cards studied by FICO, up […]
Holiday fraud probe needs cash to bring prosecution
The latest investigation into a convicted conman from Bournemouth is at “an advanced stage” – but Trading Standards officers face not being able to bring a prosecution because of the cost. Francis – or Frank – Madden was given a six-month suspended sentence for eight counts of unfair trading at Southampton Crown Court in 2012, […]
Head of a car fraud empire jailed
The head of an ‘empire’ that ran a large-scale scam involving hire cars and speeding fines has been jailed. Jason Brown, 44, of Styal Road, Cheadle, was sentenced to five years and two months prison after admitting perverting the course of justice and conspiracy to commit fraud at Manchester Crown Court. He was one of […]
Holiday hell: watch out for fraudsters
No villa and your money lost – make sure it doesn’t happen to you when booking a holiday. Fraudsters are an unscrupulous and immoral bunch, but they’re also clever, resourceful and always on the lookout for new opportunities to trick the unsuspecting public. Travel has often been an attractive target, with crooks taking advantage of […]
Visa Amends Rules to Help Airline Industry
Visa Inc. announced at a recent meeting of the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)-sponsored Credit Card Working Group (CCWG) that effective October 2015 it will accept airline-supplied flight manifests as a remedy for fraud payment card chargebacks. This remedy represents an opportunity for the airline industry to recoup millions of dollars lost each year in “friendly […]
Outrageous travel insurance fraud
Travel insurance fraudsters are becoming ever more cunning, say investigators, who reveal some of the more outlandish claims they have uncovered. Travel insurance fraudsters are becoming more devious, according to a team of investigators who have uncovered fraud ranging from fake malaria claims to someone who lied about being kidnapped at gunpoint while in Venezuela. […]
Nottingham ‘boiler room’ scam gang made £3m
A “callous” gang that made £3m selling shares in fake companies bought luxury cars and holidays, police said. They ran the so-called “boiler room” scam from Majorca to call potential UK investors, City of London Police said. More than 100 people, many elderly or vulnerable, were conned, with one man handing over £74,000, the force […]
Muslims pilgrims warned over bogus travel packages
British Muslims booking trips to go on pilgrimage are being warned about the threat of fraudsters trying to con them with bogus travel packages. The City of London Police is launching a national campaign targeted at keeping people out of the clutches of fraudsters as they search for the best deals to take them to […]