Holiday fraud

The use of fake online adverts, bogus sales calls, emails and text messages offering incredibly cheap rates to tempt you into booking a holiday with them.

Stealing images of hotels or rented apartments from other travel websites and passing them off as their own.

Telling a person to pay in cash or via a bank transfer, such as MoneyWise or Western Union, which can be difficult to trace and isn’t refundable.

You may find out at the airport that you’re not booked on the promised flight, or once you arrive, the hotel or letting doesn’t have your name booked for a stay. In some cases, the fraudster may completely end contact after you’ve paid and won’t confirm anything you’ve booked; the holiday they’ve offered doesn’t exist.

You’re contacted out of the blue by a travel agent or company you’ve never spoken to before, offering a holiday at a very low price.

You come across posts or ads on social media claiming to offer unbelievably good deals on holidays.

The details, pictures or address of the property or hotel on offer look suspicious, or independent website reviews aren’t favourable or don’t exist.

You’re asked to pay using bank transfer or cash.

Do your research: before committing and booking your dream holiday, make sure that you do a thorough online search to ensure the company is credible.

Pay safely: use a credit card when shopping online, if you have one. Most major credit card providers protect online purchases.

Look for the logos: Look for the ABTA, ABTOT or ATOL logos on the company's website. If you're unsure, you can check that the travel company you are looking to book with holds an Air Travel Organiser's Licence. You can check ABTA membership using the ABTA search function. If you wish to check that a travel organiser is a member of ABTOT, you can search their members directory.

Stay safe online: use three random words to create a strong password for your email that’s different to all your other passwords. If a 2-step verification option is available, always set it.

• Beware of suspicious messages: be cautious of unexpected emails or messages offering unrealistic holiday deals. If you receive a suspicious email, report it by forwarding it to [email protected]
• Protect personal information: only fill in the mandatory details on a website when making a purchase. If possible, don't create an account for the online store when making your payment.

Book with confidence: be sceptical of unrealistic holiday deals. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Exercise caution and research before making purchases.

Don’t reply to unsolicited emails, texts, social media or calls with holiday offers. Links and attachments in emails may lead to malicious websites or download viruses.

Book a holiday directly with an airline or hotel, or through a reputable agent. Check whether they’re a member of the Association of British Travel Agents.

If you decide to deal directly with the property owner or a letting agent, ask them questions about the booking, room, location and area. Don’t book on websites that don’t have a padlock icon (https) in the address bar and be extra cautious if you’re asked to pay using bank transfer or cash; pay by credit or debit card if you can.