Which? warns of travel scams
The consumer choice advocate has published a list of six methods that con artists have been using to exploit confusion due to the pandemic and uncertainty surrounding documentation
UK Consumer choice advocate Which? has published a list of six key methods by which fraudsters have been scamming travellers in recent years.
It warns that fraudsters are exploiting disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic and other geopolitical events, as well as confusion surrounding documentation to conduct scams on travellers.
“Criminals are exploiting the pandemic and the demand for holidays in a wide range of ways, laying new traps to trick unsuspecting travellers out of their money. Our advice for consumers is to be wary of unsolicited calls and messages, and be cautious about holiday deals from unfamiliar firms,” said Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel.
“If you think you’ve been the victim of a scam, you should report this to Action Fraud and your bank. Anyone who is struggling to get their money back from their bank should contact the Financial Ombudsman Service to review their case,” he added.
Fake Covid flight cancellation refunds
Travel disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic has been exploited by scammers cold-calling travellers and impersonating airlines, travel agents and banks, claiming that they need their bank details and personal information to process flight cancellation refund.
Many of the fraudsters have taken detailed steps to appear legitimate, such as spoofing real phone numbers and finding out exact booking details and sums owed to individuals beforehand.
Which? warns that a legitimate company will never contact you out of the blue asking for personal information. If in doubt, hang up and verify the company’s phone number. Then you can get in touch yourself to confirm that the request is genuine.
Fake Covid passport emails and online platforms
Changes to required documentation for travel, introduced in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit, has also been exploited by unscrupulous individuals.
Scammers have been reportedly sending emails inviting people to apply for a digital vaccine passport. The emails typically contain links to a fake website designed to appear like an official government healthcare platform, such as for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). However, the email and platform are in fact a phishing scam being used to steal personal information.
One individual cited by Which?, Banking Professional Hwee Pee, received an email of this type, and was directed to an online form which had the look of a real NHS website. Hwee was prompted to input her personal information, and to provide credit card details to pay for a ‘£1.99 postage fee’.
Shortly after, she received a QR code from the fraudster ‘for use at border controls.’ Realising something was wrong, Hwee reported the incident to her credit card company, who cancelled her card, and reported the scam to Action Fraud.
“Within an hour, when I revisited the fraudulent website, it had been taken down,” she told Which? “Even though I’ve protected my card, I can’t do anything about the leak of my personal details to the fraudster.
Which? recommended that online users should never click on links from unsolicited emails, and should check the ‘from’ address, contact information and copyright dates for signs of inconsistencies.
Other signs of a scam email may include impersonal greetings, different or inconsistent branding, unsolicited requests for personal or bank details, and amateurish spelling and grammar. Fraudulent emails may also ‘try too hard to sound official,’ or have an over-egged tone of urgency to make the recipient feel rushed.
Extortionate fees for government documents from predatory firms
Similarly, some companies are charging extortionate fees for documentation which can be obtained elsewhere for minimal fees. Which? found opportunists selling international driving permits for Spain for £36.25, despite the permits costing just £5.50 when purchased via legitimate channels.
Similarly, some companies have been charging fees for documentation which is ordinarily free of charge, such as the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) and passenger locator forms.
When asked by Which?, a spokesperson for Google said: “We have strict policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms. We only allow Governments or their delegated providers to advertise for official documents or services. When ads breach our policies we take action to remove them. Last year, our team blocked or removed over 3.1 billion ads for violating our policies, of which over 99 million ads in our restricted business verticals such as government documents and official services.”
However, when Which? conducted searches in November 2021, it found that some firms were charging as much as £75 for a passenger locator form, and discovered 19 fee-charging non-governmental results for the form on the first two pages of Google alone – some of which appeared as an ad, or were ranked higher than the official government website.
Which? stated that it has been calling on online platforms, banks and telecoms companies to do more to ensure that their systems aren’t being exploited to target consumers. It also warned consumers to be wary of paid-for search engine results – often the official site is the first or second non-paid link – and recommended checking to see if ‘https://’ appears at the beginning of a web address before entering personal details, to ensure that secure encryption is in place.
It added that: “There is no advantage to applying for a GHIC or EHIC through a third party firm; a company cannot fast track your application.”
Fake flights and rogue travel companies
Which? warns that the ‘renewed appetite for holidays’ in 2022 has been exploited by ‘rogue travel companies’ selling ‘fake flights’. It says that some scam victims they heard from did not realise that they had been defrauded until they arrived at the airport or hotel, and were unable to check in.
It advises that prospective travellers looking to buy a holiday with an unknown company should check that the firm is a member of a trade association such as Abta or a financial protection scheme such as ATOL, by consulting the relevant website.
In addition, customers should check the company’s website for spelling mistakes or irregularities which could suggest that the website is not up to professional standards. In addition, the use of PO boxes or mobile numbers as contact details can also be a red flag, as most businesses will have a full postal address and a landline phone connection.
Customers should also be cautious if asked to make a bank transfer, as these are virtually untraceable. Instead, UK travellers should pay by credit card to be protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
Scam holiday adverts on social media
On a similar theme, some have been posting scam adverts on social media which apparently offer late or peak-season availability for destinations which are sold out elsewhere – encouraging customers to click through to book a non-existent holiday.
Which? recommends that customers never click on links sent via social media, and instead make bookings via the official site, reached directly via URL. In addition, search online for negative reviews or forum posts by previous customers, and if still unsure, get in contact with the owners of the property being advertised.