Travel brands hijacked to dupe customers

A business travel agency facing questions about allegations of fraud by customers left out of pocket has collapsed.

Leading travel brands such as Qantas, Thomas Cook, Butlin’s and Carnival Cruise Line are the latest names being used to dupe consumers with fake Facebook promotions.

According to Hoax-Slayer – a website that aims to highlight internet scams – the identities of these well-known companies are being hijacked by fraudsters to obtain consumers’ personal details.

Travel agents using the Travel Gossip page on Facebook and Hoax-Slayer have both highlighted recent competitions by ‘Butlins Fans’ which purport to offer a holiday as a prize.

Hoax-Slayer, which is run by Australian Brett Christensen, said: “The Facebook page is in no way associated with Butlin’s and it is not giving away any holidays.

“In fact, the Facebook page is just another scam designed to trick you into providing your personal information on suspect websites.

“The only winners are the scammers who created the fake Facebook Page.”

Holiday scams are among the most common bogus posts highlighted by Hoax-Slayer.

Its most recent posts warn about Facebook competitions from ‘Majorca Holidays’ offering a Bora Bora holiday; free tickets from Qantas; and prizes from ‘Carnival Cruise Fans’ which include a cruise.

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