It’s safe to say the pandemic was a bit of a shock to the system but many of us quickly adjusted balancing our personal lives with having to work remotely. And there was a plus side – remote working took away the stress of long commutes, working hours became a lot more flexible, and we […]
Category: Fraud Prevention News
Travel businesses targeted with online cookies scam
An anti-fraud organisation has issued a plea for information as it investigates what it fears could be a widespread attempt to extort money from travel companies in an online cookies scam. The Prevention of Fraud in Travel (Profit) group has received several reports of travel businesses receiving letters warning their websites’ usage of cookies is […]
Action Fraud and Abta urge consumers to beware of scams
Action Fraud and Abta are warning the public to “remain vigilant” about holiday scams, as bookings surge in the wake of news about the roadmap out of lockdown. The bodies are reminding the public to “think twice” before handing over money and personal information when booking holidays. They say that, in previous years, criminals have […]
Court action for gents who ripped off Muslim pilgrims
A Leicester travel agent that fraudulently sold pilgrimage trips to Mecca has been ordered to pay over £100,000 in legal costs and compensation to its victims. Al Shafqat Hajj Ltd illegally used stationery containing the symbols of both the Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL) and the International Air Travel Association in its business which specialised […]
Europol cracks down on airline CNP fraud
In an international operation that took place at 200 airports across the world, crime agency Europol has arrested 79 individuals suspected of using stolen credit card data for the online purchase of flight tickets. Airline companies are among the most affected by card-not-present fraud. It is estimated that the airline industry’s losses have reached close […]
Jet2holidays wins landmark fake sickness claims appeal
Jet2holidays has won a “landmark” court appeal which allows it to issue contempt of court proceedings against holidaymakers who withdrew dubious claims of being sick while on holiday. The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the tour operator, which will now press ahead with legal action against a couple from Nottingham who pulled out […]
Reduce use of computer passwords
Anti-fraud group Profit is urging travel firms to reduce their reliance on computer passwords in its latest Counter Fraud Campaign 2019 email. It suggests businesses should only use passwords except where necessary, such as for access to the company Wi-Fi, and use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for important accounts. This requires a password that is used […]
Thomas Crooks: Fraudsters target refund process
People trying to claim refunds on flights and hotels booked with collapsed holiday giant Thomas Cook have been warned about possible fraudsters trying to get hold of their details. Britain’s aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said this afternoon it had been forced to take “urgent action” against fraudulent activity in relation to the […]
Big rise in fraud attacks against airlines
Fraud attack rates against airlines have risen dramatically over the last year while attacks on the hotel sector have fallen. According to the latest Fraud Attack Index from e-commerce fraud prevention specialists, Forter, attack rates on airlines have jumped 61%. Forter said the increase can likely be attributed to the rise in loyalty programme issues […]
Travel agent scam allegations investigated by BBC
A BBC investigation into an alleged scam by a London-based travel agent will be aired tonight. Inside Out South on BBC One is due to be shown at 7:30pm this evening and then on iPlayer. It comes after complaints from holidaymakers who believe they have been scammed by a Hayley King’s London-based Around the World […]
Bogus UK airport email
A bogus email from a UK airport attempted to defraud thousands of people, it has emerged. The scam used a fake gov.uk address, but the messages were prevented from ever reaching their intended recipients. It was one of a range of cyber-attacks prevented last year by GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre. NCSC has not revealed […]
Travel firms warned to take steps to prevent employee fraud
All travel businesses are vulnerable to fraud committed by their own staff and need to take steps to prevent it, the counter fraud campaign 2019 has warned. Employee fraud has come under the spotlight this week in part three of a 10-week email awareness campaign being sent out to travel anti-fraud group Profit’s membership organisations […]
Know your suppliers, warns travel counter fraud campaign
Checking and knowing the companies you work with means your own firm is less exposed to potential fraud risks, according to the latest instalment of the Counter Fraud Campaign 2019. The email campaign, which includes free tips on fraud awareness and prevention, is being run by travel anti-fraud group Profit in conjunction with the Fraud […]
New online rules risk massive loss of business
Amadeus has warned new EU anti-fraud rules risk “massive loss of business” for online retailers despite the UK regulator’s decision to delay enforcement. An EU requirement for Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) on e-commerce payments over £30 means card issuers could decline transactions without two-factor authentication from September 14. Jean-Christophe Lacour, Amadeus head of merchant services, […]
Flexible Autos hit by cyberattack
Car hire specialist Flexible Autos has reassured its agent partners that all reservations are unaffected after it fell victim to a cyberattack. The trade-only supplier said its technology was compromised on Sunday (July 7) by a “malicious attack” and that it closed its systems in response to protect agent and supplier partners. In a media […]
Marriott to be fined £99m for massive data breach
Hotel giant Marriott International is to be fined £99m following a massive data breach which came to light last year. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the personal information of 339 million customers was compromised and today issued a notice of its intention to fine the US hotel group. It comes just days after the […]
Anti-fraud awareness campaign to launch
Travel anti-fraud group Profit is to launch an email awareness campaign to harden the industry against fraud and cybercrime. The campaign, which goes live tomorrow (July 5) and is due to last around ten weeks, includes free tips on how to identify, deal with and reduce the risks of crime. It is Profit’s second such […]
Crime agencies ask trade to share details of fraud
Fraud prevention agencies have combined forces to study the extent of the issue in the travel industry and are asking the trade to help with research. Prevention of Fraud in Travel (PROFiT), Fraud Intelligence Network (FIN), City of London Police and National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) are carrying out a case study on payment fraud. […]
Industry’s biggest fraud survey launches
Travel companies are being urged to take part in the industry’s biggest fraud survey and data analysis. The study aims to analyse information from more than 1,000 UK and Irish travel companies to produce new guidance for the trade – and potentially uncover criminal gangs operating in the sector. It will be the first time […]
Members urged to beef up cybersecurity
Agents at the Advantage conference have been warned to beef up their cybersecurity to help reduce the risk of their website being cloned or customers’ data being stolen. Alejandro Fernandez-Cernuda Diaz, director of communications at the Global Cyber Alliance talked through simple, free steps that small and medium sized businesses – victims of 43% of […]