4 Ways To Avoid Fraud When Booking A Holiday Online

Booking a holiday 10 – 15 years ago meant visiting your local travel agent or picking up the phone after flipping through brochures.

In both instances you would be in contact with another actual human being, meaning you could use your instincts to work out what you were being offered in exchange for your hard earned cash.

However, with only 20% of overseas holidays being booked via a high street travel agent in 2014, it’s time to accept that to book online, you need to be savvy to the fraudsters who are doing everything in their power to rip you off.

A report, by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau section of the City of London Police, found fraudsters stole around £2.2 million from unsuspecting members of the public last year.

So what can you do to ensure you stay safe when booking your holiday online?

1) Check the web address of the website - does it look legitimate? Has it changed from what you originally typed in or clicked on? In other words, have you been redirected to another site without realising?

2) Research – A fraudulent company are just as able to write a review of their own ‘business’ on review sites as the next person, so don’t ever rely on just one review you’ve read. Google the name of the business or any of the people you may be in contact with. If a fraudster is using a fake name to dupe people, other users may have posted details or their experience online.

3) Paying the company – Only pay into a company named bank account and never pay directly into a personal bank account. Regardless of the convincing excuses they may give you for this, it is never acceptable and is most certainly a sign they are a fraudster.

4) Ask for a receipt – Before you even hand over your money, check you will be receiving a receipt and/or confirmation once the transaction has gone through.

We take pride in the security and stability we offer our customers, so to give you peace of mind, here are 5 reasons you can feel safe when you’re booking with us:

-  We only ask for a low 10% deposit which means no big upfront commitment

-  Balances payable 6 weeks before the rental begins compared to the industry “norm” of 8 or even 10 weeks

- Payment accepted with all VISA and MASTERCARD debit/credit card issuers

- Approved booking agents with IPP London – www.protectmyholiday.com where, for a relatively small premium, holidaymakers can insure against loss when booking with approved businesses like ours.

- With years of knowledge and experience of Crete, we are just on the end of the phone should you have any questions during your booking process. Just call us on 0330 111 0061 or contact us online!