As one of the busiest booking periods for last-minute summer getaways begins, experts at GetSafeOnline.org and ABTA, The Travel Association, warn that UK web users are ignoring basic online fraud-prevention measures in their quest for the ultimate holiday bargain, making them more likely to be caught out by bogus holiday scams. In the worst cases, holiday makers could be handing over their hard-earned cash for ‘dream holidays’ that do not exist.

New research [1] released by Get Safe Online today reveals that almost 1 in 3 (30%) web users booking holidays online do not confirm the authenticity of travel providers (e.g. by checking they are a member of a recognised trade association) before handing over payment details – one of a few basic, but important, lines of defence against fraud. Other common pitfalls include not checking the web page is secure when entering payment details to help ensure credit card information cannot be intercepted by fraudsters – over 1 in 5 (22%) online holidaymakers neglect to do this.

Such measures become even more critical when consumers begin hunting for ‘almost too good to be true’ deals via the web, leading many to opt for unknown or unrecommended providers [refer to note 2].

Security Minister, Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, said: “Many people will be looking for last-minute holidays at this time of year and the Internet can provide a great way of shopping around for bargains. However, in your rush to book a holiday you should make sure you are not falling victim to online crime by taking some basic steps to protect yourself. Get Safe Online.org provides trustworthy advice and information on online fraud and scams as well as how to ensure you have the right kinds of protection on your computer”.

Tony Neate, managing director of GetSafeOnline.org, explains: “When we’ve been working hard the rest of the year, for most people, making sure we have a great summer holiday is really important. Fraudsters recognise this and play on people’s desires - we get caught up in the excitement of a ‘bargain dream holiday’ and cautiousness goes out of the window.

“When things don’t start to add up, that’s when you really need to do your research. For example, if you decide to rent a villa or holiday home from an individual and they don’t provide a contact telephone number or don’t respond to calls, and they ask for full payment upfront to be made by a cheque in the post or wire transfer, then you need to be very careful. For private rentals, this may be the only way they can take payment, but it does make them almost impossible to track,” Neate adds.
The fact that basic fraud-prevention measures are being overlooked becomes more of a concern with Get Safe Online’s research also revealing that many holiday makers are unaware of the most common scams - 67% of people say they’ve never heard of holiday rental scams, 68% responded in the same way to the idea of bogus holiday sites, with 81% unfamiliar with ‘gap-year’ fraud.

In addition, over 1 in 5 (22%) say they’ve been approached with holiday deals or villa rentals via unsolicited emails, phones calls or SMS text messages from individuals or organisations they don’t know – another area where caution is required.

Holidaymakers need not avoid the web altogether, however, says Mike Monk, head of financial services at ABTA: “Booking your holiday online is a great way of finding unique locations and experiences, as well as often being faster, more convenient and offering value for money. However, with the online travel industry worth many millions each year, it’s inevitable that fraudsters will follow the money trail.

“However, by being aware of the risks, knowing the ‘tell-tale’ signs to look out for and taking some basic prevention measures, there’s no reason why holidaymakers cannot enjoy the benefits of booking online. That’s why ABTA is partnering with Get Safe Online today to encourage people to follow our top advice for staying safe online,” he adds.

To help UK web users book their last-minute getaways more securely, Get Safe Online’s new Travel Essentials Checklist is available from today at www.getsafeonline.org. Developed in collaboration with ABTA, its top advice includes: 

• Too good to be true? – five-star holidays at two-star prices probably are. If something doesn’t seem right, take additional steps to verify the offer and if still in doubt, stay away.
• Don’t fall for fake competition scams – similarly, a common trick by fraudsters is an email claiming you have won part of a luxury holiday, but need to pay a small fee to secure it.
• Check for approval – find out if your holiday provider is a member of ABTA or comparable travel organisation. If not, particularly in the case of private rental, do an online search to see if other travellers have had a bad experiences
• Check authenticity of private villa rentals - speak to the owner/agent directly via telephone; if the number isn’t provided email and request it. Although some owners will be unwilling to disclose these on their websites, there should be no problems getting these at the booking contract stage when the owner knows you are serious and the owner is genuine.
• Do your research – get the full address and find it on Google maps, and ask for a full contract which should set out all the terms and conditions of the rental, deposits, payment terms etc.

"Online criminals are tricking bargain hunters out of their money with fake holiday offers", concludes Caroline Hodson, director at GetSafeOnline.org and security advisor at Trend Micro. "No matter how attractive some of the offers look, it's important to always do your research before you book your holidays online."

For detailed, step-by-step advice, visit www.getsafeonline.org.

-Ends-

Notes to Editors:

[1] Research independently carried out by ICM Research during June 2010 on behalf of GetSafeOnline.org. ICM interviewed a random sample of 1000 adults aged 18+ by telephone; surveys were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

[2] The research revealed that:

• over 1 in 4 (26%) UK web users say they are driven primarily by price when choosing their holiday provider (compared to just the 4% for whom service is the primary concern)
• for nearly a third (31%), search engines are the first pit stop for identifying holiday providers. By comparison, only 11% say go direct to the website of a well-known operator or one that has been personally recommended

Other findings from the research include:

• 59% of UK internet users search for holidays or holiday rentals online
• 52% book holidays online
• While the majority of UK internet users pay for online holidays via credit card (67%), debit card (64%) or secure online payment systems such as PayPal (33%), over 1 in 6 (14%) say they have sent advance payment via a cheque in the post
• 36% of UK internet users confess they don’t track and check the payments in their bank or credit card statements after booking a holiday
• Over 1 in 10 (11%) said that they have found holidays to be below standard or not what was promised after booking online
• Of those who do not book holidays online, 37% said it was because they were wary of making large purchases online due to the risk of fraud; a further 31% felt they couldn’t trust online providers