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Holiday scams

Make sure you can relax instead of being scammed

Enjoy peace of mind on holiday

Have a read through our guide on steps you can take to protect yourself from fraud.

What to know before you go

Fraudsters can try to trick you before you even get on the plane. This is sometimes known as holiday fraud.

Holiday fraud is when fraudsters attempt to sell you holidays or tours that don’t exist. Use these tips to make sure your feet touch foreign soil.

Only book a holiday with a company you know and trust

Beware of accommodation providers that ask for a direct bank transfer

Think twice if someone tries to get you to pay outside of your trusted booking website

Use review sites to see if your accommodation is genuine

Fraudsters may also target you using

Vishing

Telephone fraud (or Vishing) is one of the most popular methods of fraud. Here's some help to stop you being a victim

Smishing

Is when a fraudster sends a text message to try and trick you into giving away your personal and security information.

Phishing

Learn how to avoid those dodgy emails and keep your information safe

Twishing

Twishing is when a fraudster uses Twitter to get in contact with you with the goal of defrauding you.

Avoiding holiday fraud

Never click a link in a suspicious email, social media message or text. Our emails will always contain one piece of personally identifiable information, like a partial postcode or name so that you can identify it's genuine. They may contain links to our websites, but they’ll never contain links that take you to a page that ask for any online banking details, like your customer number, password or card reader codes.

Never call the number given to you in an unwanted email, social media message or text 

Never make a payment over the phone to a travel agent, unless you’ve called the official number to make the booking yourself

Lookout for protection schemes

When you buy a holiday from a member of these schemes you get protection on your payments. Check the name of the company you're using on these official websites: 

ABTA is the Association of British Travel Agents and is the UK’s largest travel association. Provided that your travel agent is a member, your money is protected and you’re entitled to a refund if they close down

ATOL is an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence. If your travel agent has an ATOL, but goes out of business – you won’t get stranded or lose your money

To avoid fake websites, never use the link on a travel agent’s website to get to the ABTA or ATOL sites. Always search for the official link yourself.

What to know once you arrive

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