Nostalgic as you may feel about the days when booking a holiday meant strolling into a High Street travel agent and perusing a few brochures, the reality now is that, if you want the best deals and the biggest choice, the internet is indispensable. But amid the last-minute deals and under-the-radar destinations lurk plenty of monsters.
‘Fraudsters are using increasingly sophisticated methods to target consumers,’ Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) told the Mail.
‘They particularly focus on destinations and times of year when demand is high and availability limited, as they know people will be looking for good deals. Victims will often only find out they have been defrauded just before they are due to travel, or even in resort, when it can be very difficult to find a legitimate replacement.’
Mark’s fears are backed up by stats from Action Fraud who reported earlier this year that in 2023, holiday makers lost a combined total of £12.3 million, with an average loss of £1,851 per victim.
From the emails to watch out for to fake offers and AI generated guidebooks, we’ve spoken to travel experts to reveal the top digital travel swindles – and how to avoid them.
THE SCAMS
Fake ‘giveaways’ or deals advertised on social media
How it works: Social media channels are rife with competitions and giveaway offers which, if you’re quick enough, could mean you get your flight or hotel (or both) at a fraction of the cost you’d usually pay. You may even get it for nothing. But beware, not all of these are legitimate and many are posted by scammers who hope that you’ll hand over your details over an offer or freebie that never existed.
How to avoid it: ‘While holiday companies do often run online competitions or giveaways, it’s essential to check a post comes from the official account before engaging’, says Rory from Which?. ‘If you are in any doubt, check the holiday firm’s own website to see if the giveaway is also advertised there.’
Phantom villas advertised online
By the time you realise your villa doesn’t exist, your money will be long gone, warn experts
How it works: The rise of AI means that the age-old scam of selling a villa that isn’t available has ratcheted up another notch. Now it’s possible for scammers to use AI to create images of villas and luxury retreats that don’t actually exist at all. Again, by the time you’ve realised this (which can be as late as when you’ve arrived at your destination) your money has vanished forever and you could be looking for a campsite to spend the night in.
How to avoid it: ‘Luxury villas are highly attractive to fraudsters,’ explains Mark at ABTA. ‘The warning signs are lower prices than legitimate competitors, unlimited availability, and insistence on bank transfer payment. Do some research first. Look at other reviews and remember the old adage if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.’
‘Missed delivery’ emails while on holiday
How it works: Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at sending legitimate-looking e-mails and texts purporting to be from companies such as Royal Mail, Amazon and delivery companies that claim you have missed a parcel delivery. They hope that, while enjoying your holiday, you won’t pay the message too much attention and will simply click on the link, either to track your parcel or enter your personal details, which can result in your phone being infected with malware that can bug your device and enable the scammers to seize your personal banking details.
How to avoid it: ‘Scammers will use this method to request personal details and often payment information too,’ says Rory at Which? ‘Always avoid clicking links in unexpected messages – instead, go to the parcel delivery firm’s website directly and track your package there.’
Hacking of public wi-fi
How it works: Connecting to the public wi-fi network in a restaurant, shopping mall or hotel while you’re on holiday isn’t as safe as you might think as it’s simply not possible to know who else is connected to it. If a hacker connects their device to the same network as you, they can use something called Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) to try to gain access to your data.
How to avoid it: The safest thing to do is to never use wi-fi ‘hotspots’ in restaurants or public areas that don’t first require a password. Also make sure that when you’re browsing, you only access websites that begin with the URL ‘https’. This is a guarantee that the data transmitted from your device is encrypted. Websites that have been designed to steal your data will often start with ‘http’. ‘Make sure your phone’s software always has the most recent security updates, and for added protection, consider installing anti-virus software’ adds Rory from Which?. ‘There are both free and paid-for options, and some of the best will flag phishing sites and block malware before it causes damage.’ Two reputable brands to consider using are Bitdefender Total Security and Norton 360 Deluxe.
Fake listings on booking websites
How it works: Increasing numbers of travellers are being caught out by paying to stay in properties advertised on booking.com that turn out to be non-existent. Many of these listings are blatant scam attempts, while some are old listings that are left ‘live’ on the site despite the property in question no longer being available to hire.
How to avoid it: ‘Be wary of multiple reviews using repetitive language, or clusters posted around the same time, as this could indicate they’ve been faked,’ says Rory Boland, travel editor of Which?, the leading UK consumer affairs magazine. ‘We’d also advise filtering reviews by ‘most recent’ as it’s possible to miss warnings when sorting by ‘most relevant’. Only pay using the platform’s own payment systems: never be tempted to send money by bank transfer for a discounted rate – this is often a sign of a scam.’
Fake flight websites
How it works: There are now hundreds of fake airline ticket booking websites and some even go as far as to pretend to be actual big-name airlines. Naturally, these sites are only interested in taking your money and often catch out unsuspecting travellers by offering surprisingly low rates. Some go so far as to send a flight confirmation e-mail.
How to avoid it: ‘Fraudulent websites are increasingly sophisticated,’ explains Mark Tanzer from ABTA. ‘Warning signs will include suspiciously low prices, unlimited availability at very busy times of year and insistence that you pay by bank transfer.’ If in doubt then look for sites that are ABTA or ATOL (Air Travel Organizers Licence) recognised and contact the actual airline which is running the flight to check if it actually exists and is scheduled for the same time and date. Check the web address too – if it looks suspicious, it probably is.
The ‘bargain’ Global Health Insurance Card offer
How it works: Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) provide cover for emergency treatment while abroad and can be obtained for free. Scam websites exploit confused travellers by creating legitimate-looking websites which purport to offer a good price on GHIC cards. By the time they’ve paid often as much as £30 for the card, it’s too late to ask for a refund.
How to avoid it: ‘GHIC cards are very useful and easy to obtain’ says Mark Tanzer at ABTA. ‘They’re free so always use the official NHS site when applying or renewing.’ You can apply for the card for a cost of absolutely nothing at https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-uk-global-health-insurance-card-ghic/
AI generated guidebooks
How it works: Scrolling through Amazon reveals thousands of guidebooks to various destinations, all written by self-described travel experts. In reality, what you’re paying for is AI generated garbage (with the odd cut and pasted page from Wikipedia thrown in) which offers often incomprehensible prose, out of date maps and pricing and info which (should you want it at all) can be gleamed for free online.
How to avoid it: If you see a guide which has a glut of five star reviews and one star reviews (and nothing in between) then you can be fairly sure that the one star reviews are real and the five star reviews have been written by the author and his friends, or are AI generated. Stick to the trusted travel guidebooks brands. The best of these are Rough Guides, Time Out, and Bradt, all of whom produce high quality, regularly updated guidebooks on hundreds of destinations.
Fake visa websites
How it works: A simple Google search will reveal a host of legitimate-looking websites that claim to offer fair prices for organising the entire visa process for you to countries including the US, India, China and Saudi Arabia. These sites assume that you haven’t done a thorough check about how much the visas cost, whether you can actually get on one arrival or if you even need one at all. The result: you pay far more than you need to for your visa or even end up being charged for one that isn’t required or does not exist,
How to avoid it: There is just one website you need in order to get 100 per cent accurate information on visa requirements for every country, according to Mark Tanzer at ABTA. ‘The easiest way to obtain a visa is to check the relevant travel advice page on the Foreign Office site (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice)’. The site also has direct links to the country in question’s official visa application page.
Fake e-mails and messages offering refunds
How it works: When travellers are faced with flight cancellations or delays, they often go to social media to complain. Scammers create social media profiles using travel companies’ branding and reply to such messages before taking as many details from the unsuspecting user as possible, including bank details.
How to avoid it: ‘Though social media can be a useful tool for engaging with businesses and seeking customer support, sadly there are swathes of scammers posing as legitimate accounts waiting to reply to your posts,’ says Rory at Which?. ‘Always check that any message purporting to be from a business, like an airline, comes from its official account before you reply. You can do this by clicking directly on the profile – scam accounts will usually have few followers. If you are in any doubt at all, get in touch with the airline directly using the contact details on its official website instead.’
Discounted flight tickets advertised on social media
How it works: It can be quite a thrill to scroll through social media to find that a reputable airline or tour operator is offering a ‘flash sale’ on flights. But the appetite to snatch a limited-time-offer bargain is exactly what scammers want. By the time you’ve realised that the deal never existed, the fraudsters already have your payment details.
How to avoid it: ‘If a deal looks too good to be true, it usually is – and you should treat any sort of social media offer with a pinch of salt’, says Rory at Which? ‘While there are legitimate sites such as Jack’s Flight Club that will scour the internet for deals, most of the so-called ‘offers’ you’ll find online are nothing of the sort,’
The safest thing to do is simply avoid online travel agents (OTAs) completely and simply book directly with the airline. Research by Which? has found that, once you’ve added baggage fees and seat selection through a third party OTA, you’ll usually end up paying more anyway.
