A report released by the City of London Police reveals that British travellers are swindled out of millions annually by fraudulent travel agents, fake websites and hackers.
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, which released the report, stated that the most common type of crime involved fraudsters hacking into the accounts of owners on well-known accommodation sites or mimicking those websites with convincing imitations.
When holidaymakers turned up to their villa or accommodation, they found that the place either didn’t exist or was already full, as there had never been a booking made in their name.
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In 2014, there were 1,569 reported cases of holiday-related fraud, with the age group most commonly targeted by the thieves being 30-49.
The highest amount of fraud occurs in the summer months and in December, when families are travelling for Christmas.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: “Holiday fraud is a particularly distressing form of fraud as the loss to the victim is not just financial but can also have a high emotional impact. Many victims are unable to get away on a long awaited holiday or to visit loved ones and the financial loss is accompanied by a personal loss.”
The average loss in these reported crimes was $1,318, with one unfortunate would-be holiday home owner losing $90,900 on a fake time share.
The most common types of fraud were for the following:
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