Online travel agency Loveholidays is warning customers that fraudulent callers are posing as Loveholidays staff. A message on its Facebook page says: “We have been informed that fake callers posing as loveholidays representatives have been targeting our customers and asking them to provide bank details in order to pay a £25 refund processing fee. “These […]
Category: Latest Fraud News
Fraud warning over Hajj pilgrimage trips
As many as 25,000 British Muslims planning to book trips to Mecca for Hajj in July are being urged to check that their travel company is Atol protected. The lesser pilgrimage of Umrah was suspended in Saudi Arabia due to the coronavirus crisis. Now people booking trips to Mecca to perform Hajj this year are […]
Report coronavirus related cybercrime
Travel companies are being urged to report coronavirus related cyberattacks to travel anti-fraud group Profit. The plea comes as Profit joins the police task squad tackling coronavirus related fraud and cybercrime. The Fraud Advisory Panel Covid-19 Task Force, which includes representatives from the City of London Police, telecommunications and broadband industry and various government departments […]
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 […]
Cathay Pacific fined over ‘serious’ cyber security breach
Cathay Pacific has been hit with a £500,000 fine for failing to protect the security of its customers’ personal data. The penalty was imposed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after the personal details of more than 9.5 million customers were exposed, including 111,578 from the UK, over almost four years from October 2014. The […]
Police hunt travel agent
An online travel agent is being sought by police after allegedly duping customers out of £125,000 and ruining dozens of holidays. Hayley King, 34, is accused of taking money from victims who were told her firm Around The World Travel had booked their trips. Holidaymakers reported turning up to find hotel rooms had not been […]
Pilgrims lose thousands on cancelled Mecca trips
Worshippers fear they will lose thousands of pounds after their Hajj pilgrimages to Mecca were cancelled. Pilgrims, who each bought packages through travel agent Taha Travel, in Small Heath, Birmingham, said refunds were not received and the shop was closed. One woman took 17 years to save for her family’s summer trip to Saudi Arabia. […]
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 […]
Travel agent jailed for 21 months for fraud
A travel agent who cheated customers out of thousands of pounds for flights he did not book has been jailed for 21 months. Chetan Pal Panesar, who ran E-tickets Worldwide Limited, in Handsworth, Birmingham, tricked 18 people out of £32,000. He previously pleaded guilty to participating in a fraudulent business carried on for a fraudulent […]
Fifteen travel firm hacking cases reported
Travel firms have been told to be on their guard against hacking after at least 15 high-profile cases in the industry this year. The warning is part of an email campaign by Prevention of Fraud in Travel (Profit) and the Fraud Intelligence Network with the City of London Police. According to the Department for Digital, […]
JetBlue employee scammed the airline out of $785k
Former JetBlue gate agent Tiffany Jenkins, 31, pleaded guilty in a Boston federal court Friday to three counts of wire fraud after upgrading the plane tickets of friends, family and acquaintances over the course of roughly 15 months. The scam, according to reporting by the Boston Globe, cost JetBlue about $785,000. From roughly July 2016 […]
Suspected fraud in Thomas Cook refunds process
The Civil Aviation Authority believes fraudsters have been seeking to undermine its refund operation, and has reported its concerns to the police. The CAA began the largest ever Atol refund operation yesterday morning, as it looks to reimburse 360,000 forward bookings for a total of 800,000 passengers. About 60,000 claims were made on the first […]
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 firms urged to protect website
Travel companies are being warned to harden their websites to protect their branding and images from theft. In the 13th part of an email campaign by Prevention of Fraud in Travel (Profit) and the Fraud Intelligence Network (Fin) with the City of London Police, the group has suggested a number of ways that firms can […]
How to tackle fake chargebacks
Travel agents are being told how they can challenge fraudulent chargebacks by customers. A recent study by fraud management and chargeback protection services specialist ClearSale in February suggested that as much as 86% of chargebacks are potentially fraudulent. Chargebacks are when a transaction is reversed and the bank takes money paid to the retailer and […]
Fraudsters target Thomas Cook customers
Thomas Cook customers are being targeted by fraudsters claiming to offer refunds. The government’s Insolvency Service and Abta are warning customers not to hand over any bank details to anyone claiming they work for the collapsed travel giant or a bank. A number of customers people say they have received phone calls and messages from […]
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 […]