How to spot holiday scams

Typically, this time of the year is when people book their holidays, but it's also when fraudsters attempt to take advantage of consumers. Holiday scams are big business for fraudsters, with victims losing more than £15m in the 2022-23 financial year. (Figure quoted from Which magazine)

Some holiday scams can be harder to spot than others, but following these tips should help ensure you're booking from a genuine site.

1.   Is it too good to be true? Be suspicious of incredibly cheap deals and free holiday competitions.

2.   Check your protections: If you’re buying a package holiday, check it’s ATOL protected. You can also check if the company advertising the holiday is an ABTA member.

3.   Is it the correct URL? Double-check the URL on any websites you visit. Scammers often set up copycat sites with slightly different URLs, making them difficult to spot.  

4.   Look up when the site was registered: You can check when a site was registered on Who.is.  If a site is brand new, or has been registered in a different country than it claims to operate in, this can be a red flag. 

5.   Don't pay by bank transfer: If bank transfer is the only payment option, it might be a scam. Fraudsters often ask for money by bank transfer as it's harder to trace.

6.   Check multiple review sites: Dodgy reviews are commonplace, so if the company you're using isn't well-known, check reviews on several websites.

If you have been scammed, contact your bank immediately.

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