Fraudsters in £2.2m internet holiday accommodation scams

A new report issued by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NGIB) has revealed that around 70 people fell victim to an accommodation scams centred around last year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The report found that online fraudsters conned £2.2million from holidaymakers in internet-based deceptions targeting those leaving the country as well as those flying in for the games and other high-profile sporting events.

Last summer warnings were issued by the police, as well as the Lord Advocate, against the possibility of opportunists using the Glasgow 2014 games to scam visitors.

The report published today, has revealed victims had been conned out of thousands when a fraudster offered ‘competitive rates’ for a pop-up hotel in the city centre which did not exist.

Yet just days before the games started, the victims received an email announcing that the deal was off and that they would send refunds soon. However, these never materialised.

The report also showed that the majority of those who had been defrauded paid by methods such as bank transfer or cash with no means of getting their money back. Only a small proportion paid by credit or debit card where some form of redress is available.

Reacting to the NGIB report, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and the police, along with the government’s Get Safe Online service, urged caution when booking online.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA, said: “It’s not just Scottish holidaymakers that are being targeted, those travelling to big domestic and sporting events can often prove a target for con artists, such as travellers to last year’s 2014 Commonwealth Games.

“People are often looking for competitively priced accommodation around such events and fraudsters prey on this, offering competitive deals through email scams or temporary websites.”

He added: “Holiday fraud is a particularly distressing form of fraud as the loss to the victim is not just financial but it can also have a high emotional impact.

“Every year we are contacted by members of the public who have been the victims of fraudsters, the majority through online scams.

“We urge travellers to follow the tips that we have put together in partnership with the police and Get Safe Online to stop travel fraudsters in their tracks.

“We would also encourage anyone who has been the victim of a travel-related fraud to report it so that the police can build up a case, catch the perpetrators.”

According to the report, there are spikes of reported fraud in the summer months and in December which paint a very clear picture of disappointed holidaymakers and ruined trips to visit loved ones for Christmas.