Put the address into Google Maps to check, and consider using Street View (although bear in mind it might not be up to date if the property has been recently refurbished). Some hotels and holiday homes may stretch the truth about the location – “a stone’s throw from the beach” could require a very strong arm. Illustration: Ryan Gillett/The Guardian Use a map If the same picture is illustrating multiple different properties, it’s a scam.Īt the less extreme end of the spectrum, keep an eye out for fish-eye lenses that make rooms look bigger than they are overly staged images and closeups of objects (designed to distract you from, say, a grotty bathroom) and signs of digital manipulation – stretched or blurred edges, odd shadows and unrealistic colours.Ĭheck travel websites’ claims with Google Maps and Street View. Do a reverse image search (right-click on the picture and select “search image with Google”) to see where else the image appears online. Don’t be fooled by the picturesįake listings steal images of gorgeous villas/luxury hotels/fancy apartments and pass them off as their own. Never respond to unsolicited emails, calls or texts. Sites such as Trustpilot can verify the company is genuine.ĭon’t trust companies whose only online presence is on social media and don’t click on links in social media posts or emails. Worryingly, Bowles says an emerging trend is fake Atol protect numbers, so cross-check on the Atol website. Valid businesses should have a phone number and registered address and, ideally, accreditation from a travel body such as Abta or Atol. They may even send fake confirmation emails or booking references – Anna Bowles, the head of consumer policy and enforcement at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, says: “Some victims only realise they have fallen victim to fraud when they are at the airport to check in for their flight, only to be told that their booking does not exist.” Check the url carefully and Google the site to find the official one.įake sites, as opposed to clones, can often be spotted by spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and low-quality pictures. These look like the real deal but have a small change to the url, from. One of the biggest threats comes from cloned comparison, airline and holiday websites.
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