BRITS travelling to top holiday destinations have been warned they could be vulnerable to scams under new visa rules.
The EU has admitted that its new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) scheme could be open to abuse by fraudsters.
The rules are set be introduced in November 2023 and will require tourists from 60 countries, including the UK, to apply for a visa exemption online at least 96 hours before departure.
Approval will be required to enter any of the EU’s 27 member states, including popular holiday destinations like France, Spain and the Czech Republic.
However, new EU guidance suggests that companies could “engage in abusive practices” that con, or even defraud, customers.
The USA’s equivalent system, the Esta scheme, has been a breeding ground for a number of scams and rip-offs in the past.
For example, many third-party websites legally offer to help holidaymakers with applications but charge large premiums for things like ‘document checks’.
While that is legal, many scam websites offering the same service take customer’s money and don’t give anything in return.
There are fears this could happen with the Etias system too, as the EU have announced that it will allow third-party sites to sell it, while admitting the process is open to exploitation.
The new passenger guidance, seen by The Times, warns that there could be “attempts to…
