Common holiday scams to watch out for this January

Gloomy January is one of the busiest months for summer holiday bookings in the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) predicts a booming January for travel companies, with bookings expected to rise by 5% year-on-year.

But as holidaymakers get ready to put down a deposit on their annual all-inclusive, scammers are gearing up to make the most of the January boom too.

Holiday scams are prolific. The latest data shows that holiday makers lost out on a combined total of more than £11,000,000 in 2024 which worked out to around £1,850 per victim.

New holiday scams are constantly popping up, which is why it’s so important to know how to spot them and what to do if you come across them.

Deals that are way too good to be true

If you see a luxury villa for the price of a weekend in Blackpool, alarm bells should ring.

Scammers often copy real ads, same photos, same description, and then slap an incredibly low price on top. Here’s how to spot these:

• Prices well below the going rate – if all other comparable holidays cost £2,000 and this one costs £1,500, you have to question why.
• Unsecure payment options – no way to pay by credit card (meaning no Section 75 protection).
• Pressure to “book today” or “send money now” to secure your spot – these could be marketing tactics, but scammers love pressure selling too.

Fake holiday rentals

This one’s all over social media. Scammers list stunning villas and city apartments at cracking prices. You pay a deposit, but one of three things normally happens:

• The property doesn’t exist.
• It does exist but you arrive to find a confused family already in the pool.
• The place looks nothing like the photos (thanks AI filters).

Here’s how you spot this scam:

• A dodgy website with no reviews or suspiciously good reviews advertising the property.
• Email addresses of hosts not linked to a proper website.
• Being approached via DMs by a “host” on social media.
• “Hosts” trying to get you to book off-platform to “save on fees” i.e. by booking outside AirBnB.

Airline and hotel impersonation scams

Scammers send emails or texts pretending to be from trusted brands like easyJet, British Airways, Airbnb, or a hotel chain.

They’ll say things like:

• “Your booking needs confirming.”
• “Payment failed — update your card details.”
• “Click here for check‑in.”

Clicking the link can send you to a fake site designed to steal personal data, login details or card numbers.

How to spot this scam:

• Messages that come out of the blue.
• Slightly “off” email addresses (extra letters, wrong spelling in the domain).
• Poor grammar or formatting (though these days, AI can help scammers write flaweless emails).

“You’ve won a free holiday!” scams

If you’ve not entered a competition recently and suddenly win a luxury break to the Maldives… well, you haven’t. So you're best off ignoring the scammers.

These scams rely on:

• paying “processing fees”
• handing over your passport details
• clicking a link to claim your “prize”

The holiday doesn’t exist — but the scammer now has your money, personal info or both.

Ways to protect yourself from holiday booking scams

Holiday booking scams evolve all the time, but there are a few ways to keep yourself safe regardless of the scam in question:

• Use a credit card for bookings — Section 75 gives you cover on purchases £100–£30,000.
• Check the company is ABTA- or ATOL‑protected before you book.
• Don’t click links in surprise emails or texts claiming to be from airline.
• Google the company or property; look for reviews from real people.
• Avoid bank transfers for holiday payments.
• Be wary of pressure tactics (“must pay in the next hour”).
• Check the URL on any booking site — look for spelling issues or strange endings.

What to do if you've been scammed

Here's what to do if you think you've falled for a holiday booking scam:

1. Contact your bank or credit card provider - explain what happened and let them know if you've made any payments or shared bank details. If you're a thinkmoney customer, call us on 0161 779 5000 and text "BLOCK" to 81122.
2. Update your passwords - if you entered details on a fake website, change any account information that could have been linked.
3. Report it to Action Fraud - this helps stop the scammers targeting others. If you're in Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101.

If you're worried about money scams, we have a comprehensive fraud and scams hub which we frequently update with the latest scams and other resources to keep you safe.