THE POLICE fraud team has issued advice and tips for people looking to book online holiday deals after South Yorkshire locals lost over £170,000 to holiday fraudsters in the last year.

Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, has launched a holiday fraud campaign, urging the public who are looking to snap up their next holiday deals online to look out for suspiciously enticing offers online, including on social media, and do their research before booking their getaways.

In 2024, police received 95 reports of holiday fraud in South Yorkshire which resulted in disappointed holidaymakers losing £178,601 to callous scammers.

Charlotte Platts, a Fraud Protect Officer, said: “As we start to get closer to the warmer months many of us will be thinking about where we want to jet off to this summer and criminals will take advantage of this. Fraudsters will promote fake holiday deals online with suspiciously low prices. Stay vigilant, if a deal seems too good to be true it usually is.

“We also recommend you avoid using bank transfers where possible and ideally pay using a method that includes additional consumer protections. Please look at the advice below.”

Check the travel company is legitimate: about to book a holiday? Do some research first to check that the company is legitimate, especially if you haven’t used them before. Use consumer websites, or reviews from people (or organisations) that you trust.

Look for the logos: look for the ABTA, ABTOT or ATOL logos on the company’s website. If you’re unsure, you can use the links below to verify membership:

Use a credit card to pay: use a credit card for payments (if you have one). Many of these protect online purchases as part of the Consumer Credit Act.

Only provide required details at checkout: when making your payment, only fill in the mandatory details (often marked with an asterisk) such as your address. Unless you think you’ll become a regular customer, don't create an account.

Keep your accounts secure: create a strong and unique password for your email. If 2-step verification is available, always enable it.

Watch out for suspicious links: whether it’s in an email or social media post, be wary of promotions for unbelievably good holiday offers. If you receive a suspicious email, report it by forwarding it to: report@phishing.gov.uk

Find out how to protect yourself from fraud: https://stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk

If you’ve lost money or provided your financial information to someone, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.