Travel scams warning for football fans

Saturday, 25 May, 2023 0

Manchester City and West Ham football fans heading to their respective European finals are being urged to show caution when booking flights and hotels.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority, which runs the ATOL travel protection scheme, is warning fans to be extra vigilant to scams.

The regulator is urging fans to take the appropriate steps by checking whether their booking is protected by ATOL.

Fans should make travel insurance a priority, it says.

Fans should also pay safe, such as booking with a credit card for extra protection if things go wrong.

The ATOL scheme this week teamed up with Action Fraud to launch a holiday fraud campaign.

Action Fraud reported 6,457 complaints of holiday fraud, amounting to over £15 million lost over the past year.

The most frequent holiday frauds are clone comparison websites, airline websites, and holiday websites.

Michael Budge, Head of ATOL said: “Unfortunately, big football games often kick off particularly focused scams, including fake deals being posted online and criminals posing as reputable travel agents.”

“Fans should check via our website if the company is ATOL licenced and that their trip is financially protected by ATOL.”

“We don’t want to see people score an own goal and lose their hard-earned money by falling foul of fraud.”

The CAA advises everyone to research the company they plan to book with to check they are legitimate.

Additionally, they should book with a credit card and take out insurance.

It’s also important to watch for hidden costs such as initially undisclosed airport and accommodation fees, including accommodation transfer and baggage allowance.

The two teams are facing off against Italian opposition in Turkey and the Czech Republic early next month.

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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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