Travel agents love new clients, and when someone seemingly finds you out of the blue, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and blindly pursue the sales opportunity. But scam artists are good at manipulating human emotions and have an assortment of tricks up their sleeves to entrap travel agents in one kind […]
Category: Consumer News
Sickness claims – Spanish hotels being held to ransom
The costs of fighting fraudulent sickness claims are rising, say Spanish lawyers. Ian Taylor reports Lawyers in Spain have challenged the idea that an epidemic of scam sickness claims by British holidaymakers is being brought under control. They say Spanish hoteliers are being forced to pay for the new determination among UK tour operators’ to […]
Sickness claims – Abta presses government to act
Abta is calling on the Government to implement its promised plans to close a loophole that allows claims firms to cash in on holiday sickness claims ahead of the peak 2018 season. New data pulled from a YouGov survey suggests that nearly one in five people have been contacted about making a compensation claim for […]
Email scam has costs airline millions of dollars
As individuals, we all know we have to keep our wits about us when we’re online. If you’re really unlucky, a couple of ill-considered clicks or downloads could quickly ensnare you in a scam that ends up costing you hundreds of dollars, possibly more. But if you’re working for a company and your job is […]
Phishing Scams Target Singapore Airlines
On December 20, 2017, police reported that phishing e-mails supposedly from Singapore Airlines and DBS Bank were landing inside the mailboxes of several people, seeking their credit card and other personal information. Those who answered the e-mails reportedly found illegitimate cash dealings on their payment cards made through foreign currencies. Within the phishing campaign exploiting […]
1m people may have been victims of fraud on Airbnb
FRAUD – Airbnb has been accused of “making it too easy for scam artists” after it was reported that almost a 1m people may have fallen victim to fraud on the website last year. As many as 1.1 million bookings were also cancelled at the last minute, often leaving holidaymakers on the streets of an […]
Rita Hunter – Police probe reports of bookings fraud
Convicted fraudster Rita Hunter is facing fresh allegations of defrauding holidaymakers. Merseyside Police confirmed it was investigating six reports received relating to flights and accommodation booked through a third-party company but not supplied or paid for. Police have not named the company or suspects involved, but have urged victims to come forward. The six complainants, […]
Don’t fall prey to the cyber-fakers
“Fake news” is a scourge of the digital age — and online fakers could be costing British consumers £2.6bn a year. While the phrase is usually associated with misinformation spread on social media, fraudsters are using the same tactics and websites to push bogus flights, holiday accommodation or insurance, as well as pension and investment […]
False sickness claims – Tui blacklists 500
Tui has blacklisted a further 500 customers it believes to have made false or exaggerated claims of holiday sickness. The tour operator revealed its latest move against the alleged fraudsters when approached by Travel Weekly after a couple were jailed for trying to claim nearly £20,000 from Thomas Cook. Tui, which officially changed its name […]
Husband labelled dishonest in failed holiday sickness claim
Leading operator bosses and travel lawyers have urged the industry to keep up the fight against fake holiday sickness claims after the first pair of fraudsters were jailed. The sentencing of Deborah Briton and her partner Paul Roberts, who submitted a claim for nearly £20,000 in compensation from Thomas Cook, came as the government launched […]
British couple jailed for faking holiday sickness claim
The government has today launched a call for evidence to get travel industry guidance on how to tackle the plague of fake holiday sickness claims, which Abta says has so far cost £240 million. Experts will be asked to help inform the next step in the false claims epidemic to help the government, has vowed […]
Family scammed out of £2,300
The American Hotel and Lodging Association is warning consumers about the mass explosion of hotel booking scams that are costing the hotel industry billions of dollars and duping millions of travelers. All are basically a take on the old bait and switch. Here’s the how it usually plays out: You book your hotel reservation online, […]
Caravan park bookers fall victim to fraudsters
The American Hotel and Lodging Association is warning consumers about the mass explosion of hotel booking scams that are costing the hotel industry billions of dollars and duping millions of travelers. All are basically a take on the old bait and switch. Here’s the how it usually plays out: You book your hotel reservation online, […]
Avoid the Online Booking Scam
The American Hotel and Lodging Association is warning consumers about the mass explosion of hotel booking scams that are costing the hotel industry billions of dollars and duping millions of travelers. All are basically a take on the old bait and switch. Here’s the how it usually plays out: You book your hotel reservation online, […]
UK card fraud falls after banks tighten security
The amount of money stolen from credit and debit cards has fallen sharply, with banks claiming they are now managing to stop 67 per cent of attempted fraud. New figures reveal that card theft in the first half of the year was £287m, down 11 per cent compared with a year ago, according to the […]
Bogus travel agent helped illegal migrants flee to Spain
A bogus travel agent used stolen passports to help illegal immigrants book flights to Spain. Zaman Shah, 41, formerly of Cameron Street, Burnley arrived in the UK from Afghanistan without identity documents in 1999 before eventually being granted British citizenship in 2012. But for 18 months, Shah helped Pakistani migrants flee the UK to Spain […]
Thomas Cook puts stop to 3,000 fake illness claims
The fight against fake holiday sickness claims is building momentum ahead of a government call for evidence. Amie Keeley and Ben Ireland report Thomas Cook has stopped 3,000 fake holiday sickness claims by writing to law firms warning them about fraud. The operator asked law firms handling sickness claims to review files following the rapid […]
Police probes law firms role in £50m holiday illness scam
The involvement of UK law firms in a £50 million holiday illness scam is reportedly being investigated by Scotland Yard. The disclosure came from a lawyer from a Spanish hotel group. Carolina Ruiz of Monex, a legal firm in Spain challenging hundreds of bogus sickness claims that cost the Mac Hotel Group £4 million, told […]
Family left stranded in Spain after Facebook villa scam
A family of seven from the UK claim they lost over €800 on a Facebook scam for a villa that didn’t exist. Sheeba Gharda booked the holiday last-minute after seeing the Marbella villa advertised on Facebook and received confirmation from the owner, who claimed to be a woman called Christina Lori. The owner allegedly asked […]
Hotel sickness scam ringleader is taken into court
The heavily pregnant British expat being held in Majorca suspected of masterminding a holiday food poisoning scam was today taken to court in handcuffs. Laura Joyce, 28, and her mother Deborah Cameron, 59, were arrested at a luxury family home in the upmarket suburb of Bendinat on the Spanish island earlier this week. It has […]