Blog, Tips & advice

7 travel tips to avoid holiday scams

RiA
11 July, 2024
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With several things to tick off your travel planning list already, the last thing you need is to find yourself victim to a holiday scam. It’s the time of year when hackers and scammers do their best to get hold of sensitive information or steal money. To help stay ahead, here’s 7 travel tips to avoid holiday scams before and while away.

These may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised just how many people have fallen fowl of holiday scammers using some of the below methods.

1. Always pay with a credit card

While you may have saved up for your trip and plan to pay using a debit card or in instalments, where you can opt to pay with a credit card. Credit card companies offer more protection should something go wrong and in many cases, they should be able to reimburse you if the company / holiday you’ve booked isn’t legit and you lose your money. If you do this you can always pay your credit card back with the saved money later.

2. Don’t pay via bank, money transfer or cash

If you book accommodation or any holiday extras, especially direct with companies you’re not familiar with, never pay with a bank transfer, a money transfer company or in cash. It’s less secure and once you’ve done that, it’s gone and a lot harder, if not completely impossible, to get your money back. Why? These options offer you no protection at all, which is why it’s best to pay when you arrive at your destination or as the advice above, pay with a credit card.

3. Don’t book trips or accommodation via social media adverts

Always book your trips with a reputable company or one you’re familiar with. Don’t book via holiday adverts on social media. This tends to happen with “last-minute” villa or apartment deals offering ridiculous discounts that are literally too good to be true.

If it’s a new company to you, the do some simple checks first. Check online reviews, you can ask friends or family if and of course, by checking their website. Don’t just check the company’s website reviews, look at third-party reviews to really check legitimacy like TripAdvisor or Trustpilot.

4. Passport renewal through official channels only

If you’re rushing to get your passport renewed and especially if you’ve realised you need at least three months on it post-Brexit EU rules, make sure you do so through the official passport office for your country.

Renew throguh official channels

You may see online adverts offering a “fast-track” service and with delays at the passport offices in the lead up to summer generally, that may be tempting. However, don’t be fooled as it’s likely a scam. The best way to renew is through official channels. Not only will you pay for the service, but you’ll also be handing over all you personal details and passport information.

5. Keep an eye out for ATOL or ABTA

If you’re booking through a travel agency or brand, make sure they are ATOL or ABTA protected. ATOL and ABTA are travel industry associations that help provide extra security when booking holidays.

Travel Associations

If you can’t find the logo on the website, you can always look the company up on both of these travel association websites to make sure a company is registered. Please refer to the official, relevant travel association or regulatory body for your country.

6. Double check emails about your trip or cancellations.

Scammers may send you an email to say your trip has been cancelled with a call to action to click to find out why and more information. This is a new type of scam to get to travellers who have a lot going on with planning and rushing to get things done before their trip – to catch you out.

If you see this type of email don’t click any links straight away. Always contact your travel or accommodation providers website directly or phone then to check.

7. Avoid free public Wifi

It may be tempting, access free Wifi to cut down on roaming costs, but you need to be careful. Avoid connecting or logging onto free public wifi when you’re out and about.

If you connect to a public wifi hotspot that doesn’t have a password or is just tagged as “free public wifi”, you don’t know who’s set it up. It could be a scammer trying to grab and access your information. What happens is all your online traffic and activity is routed through their own “hotspot” and they can then see everything you’re doing online.

This mostly refers more to when you’re out and about. You should be able to safely use your accommodation wifi hotspot or that provided while in a cafe or travel/tour agency. You could also try to use a VPN like Surfshark which helps protect your data when you’re online.

Avoid being scammed

I hope this keeps in mind some of the methods scammers are using to trick you into giving over sensitive information or even handing over your money.

Always double and even triple check. If you’re not sure, ask a family member or friend. I hope these 7 travel tips to avoid holiday scams before and while away are useful!