Holiday scams

The Set-Up

You'll receive a phone call out of the blue from a telemarketer offering vouchers for free or discounted holidays, hotels and flights.

The Hook

They will need a ‘processing fee’ and then they’ll send you vouchers which you can use to redeem against a holiday or travel

The Sting

You will never see your money again.

What a holiday scam looks like

Once you’ve parted with your ‘fee’ you’ll never hear from the company again. The vouchers simply do not exist and you’ll be out of pocket.

There are legitimate companies which do offer vouchers that give genuine discounts, but any company that sells vouchers which are not redeemable for the services they claim are breaking the law.

Be cautious and resist pressure to buy vouchers that offer discounts and services that seem too good to be true, especially those that come via ‘cold call’ telemarketing, without first finding out whether the offer is legitimate.

Telemarketers are often very persuasive and use pressure selling techniques. It is always advisable to take the time to check offers made over the phone.

A legitimate company won’t mind you taking steps to ensure that the offer is genuine.

Protect yourself from holiday scams

Be wary:

• Get details of which providers (like hotels or airlines) are involved in the voucher scheme. Contact them directly to check whether the offers are real.
• If the telemarketer refuses to give you these details, hang up.
• If the offer sounds too good to be true it is probably a scam.

More information

Word of advice

30 June 2008 - Beware of ‘free’ holiday vouchers 

Help protect others from holiday scams

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