Any travel purchase is an act of faith. Travellers pay a lot of money upfront and take delivery only when they turn up and (hopefully) get the holiday they booked. That makes travel a favourite target of scammers.
Abta, the travel association, says: “Each year, fraudsters target unsuspecting holidaymakers and travellers, conning them out of millions of pounds.
“Not only are people losing substantial sums of money but many holidays are being ruined, with people unable to afford a replacement.”
As household budgets shrink and the cost of travel soars, travellers are increasingly desperate to find bargains. Fraudsters know this. Conversely, more people are tempted to try to scam the system by defrauding travel agents, holiday companies and airlines.
What should you watch for? These are the key questions and answers.
Is there such a thing as a standard travel fraud?
Yes, when perpetrated against would-be travellers. A villain purports to be a legitimate travel business, finding customers – usually online – and persuading them to hand over cash or pay by bank transfer, which amounts to the same thing.
The criminal then vanishes. Often the victim does not realise until the day of travel that they have lost thousands of pounds.
An example?
A favourite hunting ground for fraudsters in search of unwitting victims is to offer ultra-cheap airline…
