Holiday Scams

Avoid Holiday Scams

It is undoubtedly well known that holiday scams are very common in today’s world. Despite the many attempts to minimise and block scams from occurring, it is without a doubt, impossible to completely erase them. Holiday scams appear in many environments and there are so many different variations.

Holiday scams are another common variation. The question is, how do you avoid holiday scams. Just like any other scam, there any many things to look out for. It is important to stay vigilant and be sure you can trust who you are dealing with.

Facebook Holiday Scams

One common platform to find yourself up against a scammer is Facebook. Facebook is a central hub for buying and selling, communicating and discovering. However, as the platform is so widely used it does come with its risks. Furthermore, unlike Amazon and other selling platforms, Facebook is most commonly private sellers and users. This without a doubt increases the risk of holiday scams due to the lack of paper trail and legitimate details.

Not All Is Bad

On the other hand, I am not for a moment insisting that most users on Facebook are scammers as this is not the case. Nevertheless, holiday scams still exist and lurk in the deep depths of the web. There are still plenty of businesses that also use Facebook as a great platform to advertise.

We are one of them! And to be sure you can trust a company it’s always best to give them a quick search online too. Also, you could check the reviews of a company on platforms like Google, Trustpilot and even Facebook itself to help put your mind at ease. You can be assured our fabulous reviews speak for themselves!

Scam Holiday Websites

Scam holiday websites may look like trustworthy or legitimate businesses as thy often offer services at unbelievable prices. There’s the catch! If it’s too good to be true, then it probably isn’t. That’s a common flaw to holiday scams and scam holiday websites.

Holiday scam websites and holiday scams, as realistic as they appear, always have visible tells. Here are some common signs of fraud holiday websites. So you know what to look for.

How To Spot A Holiday Scam

Firstly, if you are dealing with a company via email be sure to check the email sender address carefully. Scam emails often have spelling errors or contain symbols/numbers instead of words. For example, here is an example of a real vs fake email address: info@2cHolidays vs inf0@2cHo!idays.

Secondly, always be wary if a holiday company demands payment outside their normal payment process. For example, if a company offers online payment and you receive a call or email requesting card or personal information, don’t share it! Finally, be sure to always check contact details and logos carefully. Above all, stay vigilant.

Holiday Scams

Holiday scams happen all too often unfortunately. Furthermore, according to Action Frauds report in the financial year of 2021/2022, they received approximately 4,244 reports of holiday related fraud. This skyrocketed from the previous financial year. Showing that holiday scams are on the rise. A common holiday scam is the process in which a buyer purchases a service that doesn’t exist or is copied/stolen from another buyer.

Consequences Of Holiday Scams

Clearly, the repercussions can be devastating to families with young ones. No one wants to lose money and their holiday in one sweep. Unlike, shoplifters and common thief’s, catching a scammer is not an easy task. As scammer details are often fake or stolen it makes it very difficult to trace the source.

Therefore, only a small percentage of scam victims end up with their money back. Which is why being cautious and paying by a secured payment method (with some insurance/cover) are advised.

Online Holiday Scam

Have you been victim to an online holiday scam and unsure what to do? First and foremost be sure to contact Action Fraud to notify them of all the details. This includes the whole process, from what you were told and what you did. Following this it’s certainly worth notifying other holiday makers and potential victims of the scam! Along with this be sure to report posts (e.g. Facebook & Instagram) and leave reviews. Besides the more people that are aware then the higher chance the scammer will be shut down quickly.

Before becoming victim of am online holiday scam, make sure that you also check the security of the website. To do this, simply identify if the website address bar shows a padlock symbol. If so, you’re good to go! If not, then be weary as this means the site is not secure. It should be noted that this doesn’t mean it is a scammer website but just means it’s at a higher risk to be hacked or breached by a scammer.

Responsible Booking

Above all else, so long as you are following these steps and don’t give out personal or banking information to unknown sites or persons then you are pretty safe. It’s always to wise to act quickly if you feel you have been victim to a scam and have been unable to verify a potential scammer. Finally, always do your homework first, it’s your responsibility for the information you give and who you trust. That’s why reviews are a good place to start.

That’s why we, 2cHolidays, are proud of our reviews from thousands of happy guests and we offer our book with confidence guarantee. Still not sure about us? Check out our website where you will be able to view what makes us one of the best UK holiday websites. Plus see that padlock in the top left corner on the address bar? Safety is key for us too you know! Remember, be wise and stay safe!