Beat the travel scammers!

Planning your summer holiday? Avoid costly mistakes with these scam-beating booking tips…

IS THE WEBSITE LEGIT?

Watch out for fake websites set up by criminals offering ‘cheap travel deals’ which are used to obtain your money and information. Some of these websites are designed to look just like a genuine travel company’s site, and may include its name as part of the URL, but check for suspicious differences in the domain name.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

Always be suspicious of any ‘too good to be true’ offers or prices – if it’s at a rock-bottom price ask yourself why. And where possible, book directly with an established hotel or through a reputable travel company or agent that is a member of a trade body such as ABTA or ATOL.

PAY SECURELY

Always access the website you’re using to book your trip by typing it into the web browser. Check for the padlock symbol in front of the URL and always use the secure payment options recommended by reputable online travel providers. For more tips from UK Finance’s Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign visit takefive-stopfraud.org.uk.