HSBC issues 'clone' scam warning to anyone with a holiday booked

Finance giant HSBC is warning the public of a rise in holiday-related scams, as the warm weather and dreams of summer have many of us looking for last-minute travel deals. But fraudsters are aware of this and could rob you of your summer getaway.

Anyone with a holiday booked could have been fooled by the scam, which often involves high quality fake websites that steal your bank details and holiday funds. A few giveaways that you might be interacting with a fake or "cloned" holiday provider include requests for payment via bank transfer, or even where you originally found the holiday offer, with many people falling victim to adverts originally posted on social media.

In other cases, you might get an email that looks to be from a legitimate provider, but online scammers will have "spoofed" the email address to make it appear real and convince you to part with your hard-earned cash. In their warning to the public, HSCB said: "Fraudsters are creating fake adverts and emails to scam holidaymakers. They often impersonate travel companies to trick people into visiting a bogus website."

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Their warning went on to say, "These websites can look very convincing, and some may even be clones of real travel companies. Fraudsters may ask you to pay for your holiday by bank transfer – this makes it much harder for you to get your money back."

The cost of holiday-related scams in the UK has risen to more than £12 million in the past year, with the average holidaymaker losing £1851 from falling afoul of online fraudsters. Knowing how to spot a scam can be the difference between getting away this summer, and pulling in overtime to recover lost savings.

Holiday cancellations

Fraudsters can use a flight or hotel booking cancellation as a way to scam holidaymakers. They may:

• Send emails posing as your travel company and ask you to claim a refund by going to a fake website

• Pretend to be from your hotel and ask you to cancel and rebook with them directly to ‘save money’ or fees

You may also get a call from a ‘refund agent’. These scammers may promise a quick refund if you hand over your bank details, sometimes asking for upfront payments disguised as fees.

How to stay safe

• Be careful of deals that come directly to you, especially if they’re out of the blue

• Always research the travel company if you’ve never heard of them before

• Always check if your travel company is protected by ABTA or ATOL – you can do this by searching on the ABTA websiteABTA website This link will open in a new window or by entering the firm name and reference number on the ATOL database