Beware the holidays that leave you high and dry

FRAUDSTERS are also preying on families desperate for a well-earned break.

Action Fraud recorded almost 1,700 cases of travel fraud in March to July, with losses totalling £1.8 million.

Self-catering cottages, villas and apartments are advertised all over the internet — but many are fake and offer discounted prices using stolen photographs of attractive properties.

The fraudster will likely insist on payment for the full cost upfront, rather than just a deposit.

Ideally, you should also get contact details for the owner, including their home address and phone number. If they won’t provide this, you could even ask for a utility bill for the holiday home to prove ownership.

you should also receive a booking contract. Be very wary if you’re told no paperwork will be provided.

Hoaxers have also been trying to sell timeshare holiday properties that don’t exist at all. Be wary of letters, phone calls or emails from companies you don’t know offering you deals out of the blue.

Never agree to anything on the spot and get a lawyer to check over a contract.

The law says if you sign a timeshare agreement in the UK, legally you have a 14-day cooling off period to cancel the contract and any related credit agreement.

Scammers may claim you have won a trip abroad. But they will ask for an admin or holding fee to be paid that they say will release the prize. As well as pocketing the cash, the crook will have your card details.

Action Fraud is urging consumers to be on the lookout for fake caravan and motorhome listings on sites such as eBay and Gumtree.

Criminals will come up with excuses for why vehicles cannot be viewed in person.

The scammer will ask the customer to pay ‘off-platform’ to avoid fees, or they might say their account isn’t working, which means the customer sends money via a bank transfer.

Some 2,094 vehicle scams were reported to Action Fraud in July alone — a 550pc increase compared with March.

Charlotte Edmonds, 38, from Horley, Surrey, lost £1,700 when she booked a holiday home for a hen weekend in Newquay, Cornwall. She used listings website owners Direct to make the booking.

But while it was a legitimate property listing, her emails were intercepted by a fraudster who tricked her into paying them instead.

‘It was really upsetting,’ says Charlotte, above. ‘I felt terrible that the money had just gone, and it wasn’t even my money.’

When she called owners Direct it initially refused to take responsibility but later agreed to reimburse £700.

Homeaway.co.uk bought owners Direct in 2018 and says it has in place a guarantee which protects against fraud.

It declined to comment on the case.