The Cruel New Holiday Scams You Need To Know About: Never Use the Phone Charge Points in an Airport and Beware When Booking Holiday Parking
Jemma Brown was thrilled when she booked a four-bedroom Spanish villa with a swimming pool that was advertised on Facebook Marketplace. But her family holiday was left in tatters on the day of their departure when she realised she had fallen victim to an elaborate scam.
Jemma, an artistic director who lives in Wiltshire, was looking for a holiday home in Majorca for her husband Anthony, 45, a conductor, and their two teenagers when she came across the advert.
She says: ‘It looked perfect, so I sent the owner a message and we chatted by email and over the phone. I look back now and I think, “You total idiot”.’
On the day of their flight in August 2019, she was told the villa had flooded and the ceiling had caved in, so they couldn’t stay there. She never heard from the owner again. However, she had already transferred a £300 deposit.
Travel-related scams cost holidaymakers an eye-watering £15 million last year, according to figures from Action Fraud. People fall for plenty of well-known tricks, such as booking accommodation that doesn’t exist or buying ultra-cheap airline tickets that turn out to be worthless. Yet behind the scenes, criminals are working hard to find new ways to catch you.
Here are seven of the latest ways that holiday fraudsters can spoil your trip overseas this summer and rob you of your hard-earned cash.
The social media sting
Holiday deals that pop up on your social media feed — on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok — could be as fake as some of the dodgy celebrity accounts that appear. Links and attachments promising bargain trips may lead to malicious websites or viruses that are then downloaded to your device, stealing bank account details or personal information.
Protect yourself: Always check the URL before clicking, by using a link checker tool such as Google Safe Browsing. You might appear to be on a trusted site, but fraudsters create duplicates of well-known websites.
Victims presume they are on the official website and hand over funds. Fraudulent sites may also take you to another, unknown site to provide payment. Avoid clicking through from your social media account and book trips with reputable travel agents instead.
QR code parking ploy
When taking a short weekend break, some may choose to use a pay-and-display parking option at the airport. Many car parks now require online payment using a QR code. Sneaky scammers are replacing the QR code with their own, which directs the user to a fake site where they put in their payment details, to which the fraudsters then have access.
Protect yourself: Look out for signs where a code appears to have been stuck on top of an official one. If cash payment is not available, try to pay by phone. That way, you can check the phone number beforehand to ensure it’s legitimate.
USB charge point trick
A free phone-charging point at the airport may be a lifesaver if you have run down your battery by showing tickets and boarding passes on your mobile device. But fraudsters can use the technology of charging points to access information stored on phones.
Through USB ports, scammers can introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices, giving cybercriminals the ability to access your personal information — from emails to credit card numbers.
Protect yourself: As there is no way to check if a USB connection has been hacked, invest in a portable power bank (£15, Amazon) to pop into your carry-on bag. They are no bigger than a smartphone and are good for three full charges before they need recharging.
Passport cloning ruse
Almost one in four of those scammed when booking travel arrangements had their identity cloned after submitting their passport details to a fake website, according to the cyber security company McAfee. Armed with a cloned passport, the sky is the limit for fraudsters who want to steal your identity.
If you’re a victim of identity theft, it can lead to borrowing in your name which can have a direct impact on your personal finances. It could also make it difficult for you to borrow on credit cards or get a mortgage until the matter is resolved.
Protect yourself: Be extremely cautious if you are asked for passport details by anyone other than a genuine airline. If you’re in any doubt, you can call a company directly. Make sure you are dealing with a reputable agent.
Cashpoint skimmer scam
Criminals use skimmers to steal your payment card details. These are sneaky gadgets that attach to the front of a cash machine and can read a credit or debit card’s magnetic strip. This information is then used to clone cards and spend your money.
Six million sets of stolen credit card details were located on the so-called dark web, says cyber security specialist NordVPN. On home soil, you will be familiar with how an ATM looks and — hopefully — be able to spot any kind of device attached. Abroad, you will perhaps have less chance of noticing.
The devices come in all shapes and sizes but are normally attached to where you insert your card. If it’s loose or there are signs of glue around the reader, it may be a skimmer. If the keypad is loose, that may be fake, too. Look out, also, for suspicious holes facing down towards where you would insert your card — a hidden camera could be in place to capture your PIN.
Protect yourself: Find a cashpoint where you can go into a branch and scammers are less likely to attach a dodgy kit. Alternatively, consider using a prepaid travel card. Then, if criminals get hold of the card details, they can’t be used to steal your identity and don’t give access to your savings. It is also much easier to freeze.
Complimentary wifi fiddle
Free roaming has been revoked for many smartphone users thanks to Brexit, so free open wifi networks abroad can be very handy — especially when you’re visiting somewhere long-haul. But by using them, you risk compromising the information held on your smartphone.
Protect yourself: Be cautious when you are connecting to public wifi and make sure it is attached to a trusted source. You can usually tell if a network uses encryption because it requires a password to join. You can also ask staff at the venue to verify the official wifi network.
Using a virtual private network (VPN), you can keep your connection secure and protect your personal data and activity as you bank, shop and browse online. If you don’t have a VPN and want wifi, then order a cup of tea in a cafe and use theirs — or if you can, wait until you’re back at your hotel, where you know there is a secure network.
Check-in phone call con
When you check into a hotel, brazen scammers phishing will call reception and ask to be put through to a room number. When you answer, they will then pretend to be calling from the hotel reception and ask you to confirm your payment card details, which gives them what they need to clone your card.
Protect yourself: If you receive a call from reception asking for payment details, never read out your card number. Tell them you’ll come to reception and confirm payment in person.
