Warning over Black Friday holiday scams

Consumers booking Black Friday holiday deals are being urged to avoid scams.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) advised people to ensure they are financially protected by using a credit card to pay, taking out travel insurance and checking whether a package holiday is covered by the Atol scheme.

City of London Police data shows UK consumers reported losing £11 million to holiday fraud last year.

Londoners had the biggest losses at nearly £2.5 million.

Other regions significantly affected include the West Midlands (£546,000), Greater Manchester (£508,000) and Hampshire (£482,000).

Many genuine holiday retailers offer discounts around Black Friday and Travel Tuesday – which this year fall on Friday and December 2 respectively – but criminals also use the busy period to promote fake holidays at suspiciously low prices.

Selina Chadha, group director of consumers and markets at the CAA, said holiday fraud is “a growing concern”, especially around major sales events such as Travel Tuesday.

She went on: “It’s important that consumers are equipped with the knowledge they need to protect themselves.”

Chief Superintendent Amanda Wolf, from City of London Police, called on people planning to snap up holiday deals to “stay vigilant” and “look out for fake adverts on social media and online marketplaces”.

She continued: “Make sure you do extra research before snapping up that holiday deal, especially if the prices are unbelievably cheap.

“Avoid paying via bank transfer as this can be a key sign of fraud.”