HOW TO STAY SAFE WHEN BOOKING A TRIP

BE WARY of pop-up adverts and websites advertising rock bottom holiday prices.

NEVER click on attachments or links in social media or email offers of ‘ cheap deals’ or discounted prices.

ENSURE a ny c ompany unfamiliar to you is legitimate by researching it online and checking reviews.

CHECK website address pages (URLs) for subtle misspellings or extra characters.

LOOK for holiday companies that are members of prof essional bodies such as Abta, but keep an eye out for fake, blurred logos.

I F RENTING a property, search for the full address and find it on Google maps to confirm its l ocation. Also check if t he i mages and description match up.

ALWAYS check terms and conditions of the booking first, including payment terms and cancellation fees.

WHERE possible, pay with a credit card to benefit from Section 75 protection.

WHEN paying online, check that the website URL starts with https:// rather than http:// The ‘s’ indicates it is a secure connection. Also check for the padlock symbol in the website address bar.

USE secure payment options recommended by online travel providers and do not accept requests to pay separately by bank transfer.