Over £7 million stolen by fraudsters last year from holidaymakers

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

A report revealed that fraudsters stole over £7 million from unsuspecting UK holidaymakers and other travellers in 2018.

ABTA, Action Fraud and Get Safe Online have  joined forces to warn the public about the dangers posed by holiday booking fraud .It will give advice on how to spot and avoid travel-related fraud.

Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau compiled reports that provided  details of the most commonly targeted areas of travel and the methods used by unscrupulous criminals to defraud the travelling public.

It was found that a  total of just more than £7 million was lost to holiday and travel related fraud as more than 5,000 people reported to Action Fraud. It showed an increase on last year when 4,382 victims reportedly  lost £6.7 million.

Per person the average amount lost was £1,380, as in the previous years along with the financial cost victims cribbed of the significant emotional impacted related to this.

It was further reported that three campaign  partners believed that the actual total figures related to the travel industry fraud would have been even higher and many felt embarrassed to report.

More than fifty percent of the crimes reported was related to the sale of airline tickets.

In August 2018 the reports were made consistent throughout the year and the largest individual loss was more than £425,000 in August 2018. The sale of accommodation accounted for 25 per cent of fraud, it reported peak in reported losses in October.

After the end of summer holidays, the busiest time of the year for travel and a popular target for fraudsters, many victim indicated their loss.

This indicates that many victims report their loss after the end of the summer holidays the busiest time of the year for travel and a popular target for fraudsters.

Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said that ABTA sees at first-hand the damage caused by travel fraudsters after customers find out their much-anticipated holiday or trip to visit family and friends does not actually exist.

So, ABTA, Action Fraud and Get Safe Online work together to make people aware of the steps they can take to avoid falling foul of a holiday scam.

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