Warning. Five holiday booking scams to watch out for as over £11 million lost to travel fraud

Just over £11 million was lost to holiday booking scams last year, with July seeing the most scams reported, according to figures from the national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud.

Below we've listed five common holiday booking scams and how you can protect yourself from them. For more help avoiding scams, see our 30+ ways to stop scams guide.

1. Fake accommodation deals – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

Picture it...

• You're browsing social media when you come across a post offering a gorgeous luxury villa to rent – and, due to a recent cancellation, it's 25% off. All you need to do to secure it is pay a deposit using a reputable money transfer service.

• You've found a listing for a charming cottage on a popular holiday booking website. It looks like the perfect home away from home – and it's much cheaper than other properties in the area. The host asks if you wouldn't mind paying them directly by bank transfer as it's cheaper for them that way – they'll even give you a discount.

• You're looking for a glamping break online but all the spots you've checked are fully booked for the summer. Then you come across an advert on social media showing last-minute availability. You click through and everything looks as expected, so you go ahead and book. You're reassured when a confirmation email pops into your inbox minutes later.

Sadly, these are all examples of accommodation scams – which are among the most common types of holiday fraud, according to travel industry body ABTA. Criminals can hack into legitimate accounts and post scam ads on social media, all in an attempt to steal your cash. In the worst cases, you may turn up only to find the accommodation you booked isn't available – or doesn't exist.

You should also beware cloned websites

Fraudsters can also set up convincing fake websites that duplicate legitimate sites – sometimes down to the smallest detail. They can then use these to steal your money or harvest your personal information or payment details. According to TSB, fake website scams are one of the most prevalent tactics the bank is aware of fraudsters using

The following examples have been shared by cyber security firm Trend Micro – to be clear, these clone websites are fakes set up by criminals and have nothing to do with the legitimate Airbnb and Booking.com websites. While the examples below are about accommodation bookings, fraudsters can clone other types of travel website too.

Fake Airbnb website

Fake Booking.com website

How to protect yourself:

• Check the website address. For example the official Airbnb website is www.airbnb.co.uk and the official Booking.com site is www.booking.com – but the fake Airbnb website above was at Airbnb[.]ld83528[.]ru, while the Booking.com fake was at SecurePropertyCheck[.]com (we've inserted square brackets into the URLs to try to prevent them from being picked up as working links).

• Scrutinise the company's contact details. Is there an address and a working phone number? Can you easily get through to customer services? Are they responsive? Is there an online chat? A lack of working contact details could indicate a scam.

• Check for feedback. Don't just rely on the firm's website. If the company is unfamiliar, search online for reviews and feedback.

• Pay on plastic. If you're asked to make a bank transfer or use a currency transfer service, such as MoneyGram or Western Union, this is likely to be a scam – and you've very little protection if something goes wrong. In contrast, paying on a debit or credit card gives you chargeback or Section 75 protection.

2. Discounted flight tickets for sale on social media – book directly with the airline instead

You're most likely to encounter this type of scam on social media, where fraudsters will post fake ads for cheap flights or pretend to sell tickets they can no longer use themselves. They will offer a low price and ask for a fee to change the name on the ticket – but once you send the money, they'll disappear, along with your cash.

How to protect yourself

• Don't get drawn in by eye-catching ads and offers on social media. It can be impossible to know if the user or what they're selling is legitimate – ask yourself if it's really worth the risk.

• Book directly with the airline. That way you can be sure your ticket is genuine.

3. 'Problems' with your booking – always check you're dealing with the firm directly

When MSE Kit booked a holiday via Booking.com last summer he almost lost money to a scammer when he received an email asking him to pay for his booking again. It was claimed this was needed after suspicious activity was supposedly detected on his account.

How to protect yourself

Kit said some of the tell-tale signs that should have made him realise earlier that he was dealing with a scam included:

• Check for spelling mistakes in the communication. For example: "Dear traveler."

• Be wary of unusual language, such as the threat to "eliminate your booking and account".

• Don't be pressured by talk of an urgent deadline. Kit had been told he had "12 hours" to save his account and reservation.

• Be cautious if you're asked to resend payment for your booking. Kit was told this was needed to "verify" his account, though the scammer added that the cash would be returned immediately.

• Don't click links in emails or texts. If in doubt, go directly to the website by typing in the website address yourself.

4. Bogus cancellation refunds – guard your personal details

Having a flight or hotel booking cancelled is stressful enough – and worse still, scammers can often jump on these moments as an opportunity to defraud you.

There are a number of ways this can happen, as highlighted by banking trade body UK Finance's Take Five To Stop Fraud campaign:

• Fake customer service accounts on social media. Criminals can create fake social media accounts imitating those of real firms or organisations, claiming to be able to help with refunds or claims. But the real goal is to get you to share your details in a private message or through a fake website.

  An investigation by consumer group Which? in June 2024 discovered examples of bogus X accounts impersonating every major airline in the UK – and found these fake accounts were often quicker to respond than the real airline profiles.

• Fraudulent emails that look like they're from the travel company. The emails may invite you to claim a refund but link to a fake website used to steal your personal and financial information. They may use official branding to try to convince you they're genuine.

• Spoofed calls from 'refund agents'. The caller may claim to be able to offer an instant refund if you give them your bank details. You may even be asked to make an upfront payment as an administration or handling fee.

How to protect yourself:

• Don't let yourself be rushed or pressured. Scammers may try to create a false sense of urgency in their attempts to trick you – be cautious of this. If in doubt, don't proceed.

• Make sure you're dealing with the real firm before sharing ANY info. If unsure, stop and go directly to the firm's official website (don't click links in emails or texts) – look at the website address to make sure. You can then find its social media profiles and contact numbers.

5. Sham giveaways – beware social media posts and any unsolicited contact

Scrolling through social media and spotted a post offering an unmissable deal or giveaway? Or got a promotional email, text, or WhatsApp message out of the blue? Be very careful – it could be a scam.

The exact form of this type of scam can vary a lot, as scammers will tailor their messaging around specific brands, holidays or events – for example, British Airways, EasyJet, Emirates and Ryanair have all been targets.

How to protect yourself:

• Check the brand's official website. Is there any mention of the deal or discount? If not, it's likely to be a scam. If in doubt at all, contact the firm directly and ask.

• Be extremely wary of ANY unsolicited contact. Even if it looks authentic and uses the right branding, it's likely to be a scam.

• Look closely at links and website addresses. Have they been shortened or otherwise obscured, concealing their true destination? That's a telltale sign of a scam.

What to do if you think you've been scammed

We break down the steps to take if you think you've been scammed in our 30+ ways to stop scams guide, but in brief, end all further communication with the scammer immediately, then:

• Call the 159 hotline if you've provided card or bank details. This will connect you directly with your bank. You should then let your bank know about any money you've lost and ask it to cancel any payments that haven't yet been made.
  
  Alternatively, you can call your bank directly. Make sure you find your bank's contact details independently – for example, by calling the phone number on the back of your card or on your bank statement.

• Report the scam. You can do this via the Action Fraud website or by calling 0300 123 2040 (England, Wales or Northern Ireland). If you're in Scotland, report a scam via the Consumeradvice website or call it on 0808 164 6000. You can also report scams to Police Scotland on 101.
  
  Another option (UK-wide), if it's an online scam, is to report it to the Advertising Standards Authority. Do this in addition to reporting it to Action Fraud or Consumeradvice.

• Use Section 75 if you've been scammed when paying for something costing more than £100 on a credit card. If you used a debit card or spent exactly £100 or less on a credit card, you could try to claim your money back under the chargeback scheme instead.
  
  Unfortunately, if you've transferred the money using sites such as Moneygram, PayPal or Western Union, you generally can't get your money back once you've handed it over.

• For more help and support, contact Citizens Advice (England and Wales), Citizens Advice Scotland, or NIdirect (Northern Ireland). Alternatively, call the Financial Conduct Authority's helpline on 0800 111 6768 (UK-wide).

Here's how you can report a wide variety of scams quickly

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) sets out a number of different ways to report scams depending on the type:

• Emailed scams. If you get a dodgy looking email, you can report it to the NCSC by forwarding it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Remember not to click on any links within these emails.

• Text scams. If you get a suspicious text message, you can forward it to the number 7726 – this will allow your provider to track the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender if it's a scam. You can also report scam text messages to report@phishing.gov.uk – remember to provide a screenshot of the text message.

• Website scams. If you notice a website or URL that doesn't look quite right, you can easily report the web page to the NCSC directly via its online form.

• Scam adverts, including ads on newspaper websites, paid-for search engine ads, or ads appearing on social media. These can currently be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority through its online form.