How to Avoid Holiday Booking Scams in 2022

The internet is your oyster when it comes to booking accommodation and package holidays online, whether in your own country or abroad. Great deals in places you've always dreamt of suddenly become an affordable reality. Or have they??

Just in case you've missed all the recent reports, did you know, holiday booking fraud has increased by as much as 425% in the last few years, a statistic set to rise. In 2017 over 5,000 cases of booking fraud were reported in the UK alone, amounting to a staggering £6.7 million and it's thought this figure to be much higher, as not all cases are reported. 

So, before you enter your credit/debit card details and hit the "Book Now" button, check out the following top tips, that may save you a lot of money, pain and anguish when thinking of booking that fantastic private holiday rental or those too good to be true, super cheap flight tickets or hotel deal. 

Your Top Tips - Booking holiday accommodation safely online

1. Always make sure the accommodation has been verified by an independent and don't just take the owner's word for it, as the owner might not be all they say they are! At Dog Friendly Scotland we verify all our accommodation and services exist before they become live on our website. 

2. At Dog Friendly Scotland we verify all our accommodation and services to ensure they exist before they become live on our website. So you can be safe in the knowledge they are recognised suppliers. 

3. If you don't book through Dog Friendly Scotland, Be very careful when booking your holiday accommodation, even with the most prominent, well-established online website platforms. The majority of the online platforms do not verify the ownership and existence of the property/business that you could be about to book, hence why there have been so many fake accommodation listings on the internet!

4. TOP TIP - Ensure you have adequate travel insurance at all times, especially when travelling abroad. Check the policy you choose offers adequate coverage for the location your travelling to, for the age range of you and your family/party and for the type of holiday you have chosen. Always read the small print and know that you are covered for all eventualities including fraudulent bookings made online. Globelink International has a wide range of travel insurance products to suit all budgets and types of travel.

5. For your protection, before entering your details onto any website, check the website address starts with “shttp or https” and has a secure padlock icon in the address bar. If none of these features exists, we would advise you not to use the website as it is most likely to be less trustworthy or indeed a fake!

6. When booking holiday accommodation, check how long the property and the owner have been advertising. This won't act as a substitution for verification but may offer some kind of judgement. (You can contact us if you are unsure and we can invite the property owner to sign up with Dog Friendly Scotland)

7. Check online for previous guest experiences and reviews on the property you are interested in. Sometimes you may need to read between the lines and make your own decisions based on what you see and feel comfortable with.

8. Avoid paying the owner directly into their bank account and be cautious if you are asked to pay the full amount of the holiday rental upfront unless it’s a last-minute booking.

9. Read the Terms and conditions of booking and ensure you understand the cancellation policy timelines. If you don't understand the terms or the terminology, don't be afraid to ask questions.

10. Pay with a Credit card as they often carry a level of protection/insurance on all purchases made. Some Debit cards have protection also. But, in both cases, check with your card issuer before you book if you are unsure.

11. Avoid giving your card details out over the phone to a stranger and always check your online debit/credit card statement after you have made your booking and ensure that only the agreed amount of money is taken from your card account.

12. Don’t be too quick to book a holiday rental that looks too cheap to be true, because quite often that is the case and disappointment usually follows. There are a lot of horrid people around just waiting to scam you.

13. Check out the location of the property to ensure that it is where it is meant to be. You don't want to arrive to find it's on the side of a cliff or worse, it does not exist.

14. If you are booking flights, package holidays or hotels, always make sure you use a reputable well-established company and make sure they are members of a governing body. For example, in the UK this would be ABTA, ATOL, IATA.

15. Don’t be fooled into buying from touts or bogus unknown companies, as in most cases this will end in disaster and your holiday insurance will not cover you in situations where you have not booked through regulated agents.

Finally, if you have been affected by holiday booking fraud, we would love to hear your story and with your permission, share it with our readers on our website. It's only by sharing our experiences can we help each other. Email us at - info@dogfriendlyscotland.com 

First Published - April 2019. 

NOTE - Information contained in this article was accurate at the time of publishing and should be used for guidance only. Whilst we make every effort to keep our information up to date, public information is constantly changing and therefore, no responsibility will be accepted if this information becomes out of date or which warrants this information to be inaccurate.