All about Holiday Scams

It’s the festive season and everyone wants to travel. Now let us help you avoid any scams that you might come across when traveling or on your holiday as we both know this will be the worst! No one wants to be worried over this great festive season.

New research into cybersecurity has said that the UK alone has lost about 7M to fake sites and fraud in 2018. We are going to show you the five most common scams

Nowadays a fraudster will use increasingly sophisticated methods! They will target the most popular destination and time of the year to start with. They are well aware that we are all looking for great deals. As victims often find out just before they travel or even in-resort that they have3 been defrauded, it can then be difficult and expensive to obtain a legitimate replacement booking.

Some research we did and found out that 1 in 5 Brits in their lifetime are either been scammed or nearly scammed. As McAfee believes the actual figures are likely to be much higher as lots of people don’t actually report this issues small or big. As per below the big 5 scams that are common.

1. Fake Websites that look real

2. Being directed away from trusted sites for payment

3. Amazing Deals received via pop-up, emails and texts

4. Fake accommodation listings

5. Using unsecured networks

The above is just the simple one’s we can advise. Always just go with your gut feeling and if you do not know ask. Always report a scam or report it if you feel that it’s being suspicious activity.

Also always remember to connect with caution and avoid sharing sensitive data or bank account details. Consider using a VPN to help keep your connection secure. If you are going to rent do call the agent directly for information other than just sending an email or sms, always double check and do a little research and look at the comments and rates of the accommodation.

Try and book through a place that is well know or maybe a place that a family or friend has been to and recommended you to go. Another thing you can check is the payment page. Check for https:// rather than (http://) which should always appear on the payment page. Misspellings, additional words or characters, fuzzy or low-resolution pictures and logos are also be indicators of fraudulent website.

Otherwise you can always contact us! 

0211100422 or contact@osint.co.za or contact@tcgforensics.co.za