Holidaymakers are being warned to watch out for travel scams after Santander UK recorded a jump in total customer losses to such fraud in the second quarter of this year. Holiday-related scams were used to steal £42,773.62 between April and June, an increase of around a third (32%) from the £32,513.09 stolen between January and March.
Common Scam Tactics
The bank said common tactics include the sale of fake holiday packages; apartment and villa rental scams in the UK and abroad; and requests for deposits by criminals who then disappear. Santander advised people to be cautious when browsing “limited time” or “one room remaining” deals and to do extra checks, such as searching to see whether photos advertising a holiday exist elsewhere online.
Verification Advice
Santander also suggested people should verify the booking independently by contacting the hotel, airline or travel provider directly, using details from their official website, to confirm the booking or offer is genuine. Despite the increase in holiday scams, Santander’s “scamtracker” found the total amount stolen by scammers nearly halved from £24.6 million in the first quarter of this year to £13.35 million in the second quarter. There was a particularly big fall in the amounts stolen from customers aged 55 and over, the bank said.
Expert Comments
Chris Ainsley, head of fraud strategy at Santander UK, said the bank’s figures overall “show real progress” but added: “We must not rest on our laurels – scammers are smart and will adapt their approach to continue targeting customers by whatever means possible.” Dr Rasha Kassem, senior academic and leader of the Fraud Research Group at Aston University, said: “Once travelling, holidaymakers should continue to protect themselves by safeguarding their personal information at check-in, providing only the information that is necessary, ensuring identity documents are handled securely, and avoiding leaving passports or other sensitive documents unattended. Bank and card transactions should be monitored regularly for any unusual or unauthorised activity.”
