Holidaymakers fleeced of £5,000 in internet villa rental scam
CON-MEN are fleecing holidaymakers of up to £5,000 each through villa internet rental frauds, a security chief warned yesterday.
They are able to make a fortune from fraudulent transactions because families fail to heed warnings about ensuring transactions are genuine.
Details of the alarming trend come as tourists jet off for winter sunshine breaks or ski trips, or surf the web for their summer holidays.
Scams are pulled off when criminals hijack the booking of overseas villas and convince holidaymakers to pay them instead or use fake details to trick people into thinking they are getting a bargain.
Research by Barclays shows that 37 per cent of villa frauds ended with victims losing between £1,000 and £5,000.
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Ross Martin, the company's head of digital security, said 55 per cent of 2,000 people polled said they not be put off booking a holiday which seemed "too good to be true". He said: "Trying to escape those January blues may seem like an appealing prospect, but fraudsters are preparing to take advantage of sun-seekers at this time of year.
We must make sure we are carrying out proper safety checks to ensure our online security and enjoy a scamfree holiday."
Examining data between April and October 2017, Barclays researchers found that 59 per cent of swindles were reported by women and more than 36 per cent of victims were aged 30 to 44.
They found that more than half of people would not be put off booking a holiday, even if it seemed an unlikely bargain.
Astonishingly, a quarter would be prepared to put themselves at risk in hope of bagging a good deal.
Barclays also found that 43 per cent of interviewees would not be alerted if they were asked to pay for a holiday via bank transfer.
Less than half - 45 per cent - would check their booking was with a member of Abta or another consumer protection body.
Usually, those tricked into transferring their money directly to a fraudster have little chance of getting it back, because the bank acted on their instructions.
The City of London Police's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau revealed that in 2017, almost 5,000 people lost a total of nearly £7million in holiday booking scams.
One family lost £2,300 after booking what they thought was a four-bedroom villa in Majorca. David and Jayne Morris arrived at the property to be greeted by the owner, who knew nothing about their booking.
The website they booked it through said their email to the proprietor had been intercepted by the fraudster, who diverted their payment to an unknown account.
Mr and Mrs Morris, of Oxford, had to pay again to secure alternative accommodation.
