Scamwatch: dodgy holiday websites
Stay one step ahead of the fraudsters with our series of articles giving you the lowdown on the scams they use to trick people out of their hard-earned cash – and how to avoid being taken in by them.
This week, the online travel scams that cost British tourists close to £12 million last year.
How does it work?
Thousands of Britons were taken in by fake travel websites last year. On average, they lost £3,000 each.
Some of the scams were linked to home letting websites such as Airbnb.
Reported problems include listed properties turning out to be double booked or simply not exist. In other instances, legitimate accounts were hacked by fraudsters who used them to steal holidaymakers’ cash.
There were also a number of cases where people were tricked into booking flights on fake airline ticket websites offering “cheap” fares.