Holiday booking fraud: don't fall victim

Stay one step ahead of the fraudsters with our series of articles giving you the lowdown on the scams they use to trick people out of their hard-earned cash - and how to avoid being taken in by them.

This week, we explain how fraudsters are tricking people into booking holiday accommodation that does not exist or is nothing like the description given online.

How does it work?
Accommodation-only booking sites such as Holiday Lettings and Booking.com have become hugely popular in recent years.

Every day, for example, more than 1 million people stay in accommodation booked on Booking.com, which has some 650,000 properties on its books.

However, holiday accommodation websites of this kind often fail to physically check the accommodation on offer and take no responsibility for inaccurate descriptions made by property owners.

"Although we will use reasonable skill and care in performing our services we will not verify if, and cannot guarantee that, all information is accurate, complete or correct," Booking.com said in its terms and conditions.

And fraudsters are increasingly using this loophole to con holidaymakers out of money by advertising properties that do not exist or are nothing like the pictures and description shown on the sites.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: "Citizens Advice helped with 1,400 cases where people had problems with holiday accommodation last year, including incidents where people were scammed into booking accommodation that didn't exist."

How can I avoid being caught out?
Ways to protect yourself against holiday accommodation fraud include booking through a holiday company that checks and guarantees its properties will be as advertised.

Where possible, it also makes sense to book with an agent or tour operator that is a member of travel association such as ABTA.

Those that are must sign up to a Code of Conduct that includes an accurate advertising pledge, while you are also protected financially should the company go bust.

When booking via an accommodation-only site, meanwhile, pay by credit card so that you benefit from the protection offered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which states that credit card providers are jointly and severally liable when things go wrong.

And treat any property owner who asks you to pay by bank transfer or an instant wire service such as Western Union or MoneyGram with extreme caution.

I've been defrauded. What should I do?
If your holiday property turns out not to exist or to be nothing like you expected, it is worth contacting the website you booked it through as it may be able to find you alternative accommodation.

You should also report the fraud to Action Fraud (0300 123 2040) and look into recouping any losses from your card provider if you paid by credit card.

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