Don’t fall prey to holiday fraud

Advertisements on social media platforms, especially Facebook, are mainly used to defraud people

Hyderabad: Lockdowns are being lifted, restrictions on travel are very few and many are looking forward to get out of their homes to unwind and shake off the hangover of being confined in their four walls for so long.

And that exactly is what is being targeted by some crafty crooks, through what law enforcement agencies call holiday frauds. And this, mind it, is not something happening only in India, but with victims across the globe. Newsletters and advisories by international law enforcement agencies are all now asking people to be alert.

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“We are all the more eager than ever to go on a holiday and relax with family and friends, following the coronavirus pandemic. However, criminals will stop at nothing when it comes to defrauding innocent people out of a well-deserved break and their hard-earned cash,” says Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, the United Kingdom’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, which has received 1,907 reports of holiday and travel-related fraud so far in 2020-21.

“Criminals are increasingly using more sophisticated ways to trick their victims, which is why it’s important that we all do our research when booking a holiday and making travel arrangements,” says Smith in a recent advisory.

In the city, though not many cases have been reported so far, past history shows several people who booked tickets or signed up for packages found that they were cheated only after they reached the airport or the hotel they were supposed to check in.

Advertisements on social media platforms, especially Facebook, are how many of the victims were defrauded, according to Action Fraud. Online booking platforms, fraudsters impersonating representatives of travel agencies or cloning their websites, fake airline websites, fake hotel/accommodation websites etc., are where these crooks are having their own versions of holidays.

Be vigilant

Tips to avoid holiday frauds (Courtesy Action Fraud):

• Stay safe online: check if web address is legitimate or altered by slight changes to domain name – from .co.in to .org
• Do your research: don’t just rely on one review – do thorough online search to ensure the company is credible
• Avoid paying directly into private individual’s bank account unless you are sure
• Check invoices and terms and conditions; be very wary of companies that don’t provide any at all

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