Santander UK has issued a warning about holiday-related scams after a sharp increase in customer losses during the second quarter of this year. Between April and June, scammers stole £42,773.62 from Santander customers, a 32% jump from the £32,513.09 recorded in the first quarter.
Common Scam Tactics and Advice
The bank highlighted common tactics including 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 customers to be cautious when seeing “limited time” or “one room remaining” deals and to carry out extra checks, such as reverse image searching photos of advertised properties to see if they exist elsewhere online.
A Santander spokesperson recommended verifying bookings independently by contacting the hotel, airline, or travel provider directly using official website details to confirm the offer is genuine.
Overall Scam Figures Decline
Despite the rise in holiday scams, Santander’s “scamtracker” showed that the total amount stolen by scammers nearly halved from £24.6 million in the first quarter to £13.35 million in the second quarter. The bank noted a particularly significant drop in amounts stolen from customers aged 55 and over.
Chris Ainsley, head of fraud strategy at Santander UK, said: “We must not rest on our laurels – scammers are smart and will adapt their approach to continue targeting customers by whatever means possible.”
Expert Travel Safety Tips
Dr Rasha Kassem, senior academic and leader of the Fraud Research Group at Aston University, advised holidaymakers to continue protecting themselves while traveling. “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,” she said.
She added: “Bank and card transactions should be monitored regularly for any unusual or unauthorised activity.”
