Criminals are ramping up their efforts to trick holidaymakers out of their money this summer, with fake deals, cancellations and convincing clones of popular booking websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com.
More than £15m was lost to holiday booking scams between April 2022 and April 2023, according to Action Fraud, a massive 41% increase compared to the previous year. Summer is the most popular time for scammers to strike, as families look around to get the best deal for a holiday.
Martin Lewis has warned that fraudsters are now using increasingly sophisticated techniques to con people, with dodgy websites set up to perfectly match legitimate and well-known booking portals lying in wait to con you out of your holiday money. Money Saving Expert has highlighted four red flags to look out for and how you can protect yourself from holiday heartbreak this year:
