Hajj 2019 fraud warning
As many as 25,000 British Muslims will be booking trips to Mecca over the coming months to perform the pilgrimage known as the Hajj.
And police have warned of the major threat of fraud.
Some people could arrive in Saudi Arabia to find the accommodation they booked does not exist.
Others may discover their whole trip is in fact a scam set up by bogus travel operators who have disappeared with thousands of pounds of their money.
In 2018, there were 19 reports of Hajj scams made to Action Fraud, with total losses of £185,967.
Reports show that victims can lose anything from £1,000 to £50,000.
Law enforcement officials and figures within the Muslim community are convinced these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, with many victims too embarrassed, ashamed or frightened to report what has happened to them.