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Northumbria Police have warned the public to be on their guard after would-be holidaymakers were scammed out of £15million in the past year.

Holiday fraud sees con-artists using a range tactics to encourage people to part with their cash; from cloning comparison and airline websites, to bogus agents advertising so-called getaways on social media.

The data, released by Action Fraud to coincide with the launch of their awareness campaign, shows that the summer scams are up by 41% across the country.

In the Northumbria Police area, a total of 87 people fell victim between April 2022 and this March 2023, a 2% increase.

Police have warned the public to be on their guard after would-be holiday makers were scammed out of £15m.

Detective Inspector Phil Thoburn from the force’s fraud team has headed the awareness campaign. He urges anyone who sees a suspected scam to report it immediately.

Advice includes researching companies you are unfamiliar with online to check they're legitimate, checking whether the company is an ABTA (the Travel Association) member and securing your email.

Booking with a credit card is also strongly urged. Most major credit card providers protect online purchases and are obliged to refund you in certain circumstances.

Using a credit card, rather than a debit card, also means that if your payment details are stolen your main bank account won’t be directly affected.

DI Thoburn said: “Summer is fast-approaching and we know that many families, couples and groups of friends are counting down the days until their holiday or eagerly looking for a good deal. Traditionally this is the time of year we see fraudsters really ramping up their efforts.

“Scammers will prey on people wanting to find a good deal on flights, hotels or a full package, but sadly those deals which look too good to be true often come with an even heavier price tag.

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“We’re asking everyone to do their research, use trusted sellers, read their reviews and look for any hidden extras which might sting you later.

"Check your trip is ATOL protected and if you can, even pay using a credit card so you have additional protection if anything goes wrong.”

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at www.actionfraud.police.uk, or you can call 0300 123 2040. Please visit www.abta.com for more advice.

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