The number of holiday scams has tripled in the first half of 2024, and a lender has warned families to stay alert when booking a trip to sunnier climes.
The warning comes as July has proven to be a particularly fruitful time of year for fraudsters, as £34,000 was taken from Santander customers in that month in 2023.
However, 2024 is set to dwarf that figure as the number of airline scams tripled from year to year, and cash lost to fake flights soared from £38,600 in 2022 to over £100,000 in 2023.
Other methods scammers use are fake adverts of properties for holidaymakers to stay in, instances of which have quadrupled in the first six months of 2024, too.
This scam has hit the pockets of younger travellers the hardest, as 19-34-year-olds lost an average of £1,540 to criminals.
Meanwhile, with 85 customers of Santander reporting holiday fraud since January 2024 – at least a month before schoolchildren sign off for the summer – families desperate to escape the inclement UK weather have been urged to stay vigilant of scammers.
‘Don’t let the sun blind you from scammers’
Chris Ainsley, head of fraud risk management at Santander, said: “With the British summer proving an absolute washout so far, it makes sense that lots of us are planning to get away over the summer holidays and catch a few rays. But don’t let the sun blind you from the scammers.
“It’s important to stay alert when booking holidays online and to make sure that the site you are using or the person you’re speaking to is legitimate.”
Ainsley added: “Don’t let enticing pictures of blue skies and empty beaches on your social media feeds distract you from spotting a scam. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
The bank has provided six tips to ensure you can book your holiday in peace.
Six tips to avoid holiday scams
- Always take time to think before making a payment, especially if it’s a lot of money like flights or accommodation. Speak to someone you trust first, like a friend or family member.
- Be extra careful with adverts for cheap deals, particularly those with a sense of urgency that might be phishing. As with everything else, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Pay extra attention to the warnings your banking provider provides when making a payment. They’re in place to help you bank safely and avoid being scammed.
- Anyone can be easily impersonated, and criminals can make the caller ID, email address or name look exactly like the genuine caller. So, if you get an email, text or call, check it’s genuine by phoning them back on a known and trusted number.
- Always take time to complete extra checks when you make a payment. This is to make sure the person and the payment are genuine. This can be reading reviews, researching companies or websites, and checking the person or company is who they say they are.
- Enable personal device security features before your trip, like ‘Find My Phone’ or ‘Stolen Device Protection’ (for iOS), to ensure you are protected if you lose your phone while you’re away. You can block your device as soon as you notice it’s missing to stop criminals from accessing your accounts.
Related: Seven tips from Stop Scams UK to avoid fraudsters stealing your sunshine
