Holiday booking fraud rises by a quarter

♦holidaymakers have been warned to be wary of Airbnb-style fraud as the amount of money stolen in holiday booking scams rose by a quarter last year.

New data released yesterday showed that victims of scams lost an average of £1,500 in 2017. There were 4,700 reported cases in the UK, involving a total of £6.7million, up from around £5million in 2016.

Fraudsters are tricking people booking holidays by setting up bogus accommodation websites, hacking into legitimate accounts and posting fake ads on sites like Airbnb.

The most common scams relate to airline tickets and accommodation bookings.

There was a spike in cases during the summer and in December, leading experts to believe fraudsters were targeting peak holiday periods when it is often harder to find a bargain.

Sporting and religious trips were a popular target, the Association of British Travel Agents and the City of London Police said.