Dear Watch Member,
Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, has published new data showing that in the last financial year, it received 6,457 reports of holiday fraud, amounting to over £15m lost.
Victims reported losing a total of £15,319,057, a 41 per cent increase on last year’s results, which amounts to an average loss of £2,372 per victim. From May – August alone, more than £4.6m was lost. Their news story can be found at:
With the summer months seeing the highest levels for holiday fraud reports, Action Fraud has launched a national awareness campaign to urge the public to think twice before booking a holiday, so consumers don’t get burnt before they are on the beach.
Interestingly, people in their 20s and 40s who reported losses accounted for 44 per cent of all reports, further dispelling the myth that only older people are targeted by fraudsters.
Holiday fraud encompasses many different tactics employed by criminals to dupe unsuspecting members of the public. The most frequent frauds are clone comparison websites, airline websites and holiday websites.
An emerging trend is fraudsters using counterfeit Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) protect numbers on their fake webpage. All credible and trusted companies are provided with a number that shows the company has passed the regulatory checks by ATOL, with this number being unique to the website. Recently, fake websites have used duplicate or fabricated numbers which have been edited onto an ATOL logo.
ATOL recommends double checking all numbers on websites and with travel operators before handing over any money. If you do pay, use a credit card as this can offer greater protection should you lose your money.
If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]
Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 8721 2775