The National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre has reported that in 2024, UK holiday-makers lost over £11 million through holiday fraud, mainly through enticing offers online and through social media. That is an average loss per victim of £1,844. In 2024 there were 6,066 reports of fraud in connection with holidays; the month with the highest number (647) being July.
There are things that you can do to help protect yourself:
· When booking a holiday, always check that the travel company is legitimate. Do a bit of research, especially if you have not previously used the organisation. Have a look at trusted consumer websites or reviews from organisations that you do trust.
· Look for the logos from ABTA, ABTOT, ATOL on websites. There are also links where you can check if the company is a genuine member. Please use them if you are in any doubt.
· Using a credit card to pay for your holiday will give you some protection for online purchases under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act of 1974.
· When you get to the checkout only give mandatory details and don’t create an account unless you think you will become a regular customer.
· If you do want an account, keep your account secure with a unique password that is difficult to guess, and if a 2-step verification is available, it should be enabled.
· Be very aware of suspicious links. If you receive a suspicious email (and they are increasing in number and frequency) forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk or phone 0300 123 2040.
Holidays should be times when we can go away, relax and just get away from the daily routine. We can help keep them that way by doing what we can to stamp out fraud by being diligent, careful and reporting suspicious issues. However you choose to spend your holiday, STAY SAFE.
Norman Anderson, Chairman of Todwick Neighbourhood Watch todwick.nhw621@btinternet.com
