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 being advised to follow advice from the Saudi authorities and hold off from entering into contracts with Hajj tour operators due to the uncertainty over coronavirus.

The advice came today (Wednesday) from the Council of British Hajjis in partnership with the British Consulate in Jeddah, City of London Police, Birmingham Trading Standards and the Civil Aviation Authority.

A spokesperson for Action Fraud said: “Criminals will use every opportunity they can to defraud innocent people. They will continue to exploit every angle of this current national crisis we find ourselves in and the Hajj & Umrah market is no different.

“Should this year’s Hajj pilgrimage be cancelled, criminals could use this as an opportunity to fraudulently offer refunds or alternative tours. Many people will have saved for years to be able to afford to travel to Saudi Arabia and as a result will be absolutely devastated if they are conned by fraudsters.

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