A warning about bogus holiday scams which cost UK
consumers more than £1billion every year is being issued by the
Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and our trading standards
service.
Every year 400,000 UK consumers fall victim to these scams at
resorts such as Tenerife, Costa del Sol and Gran Canaria.
Consumers are targeted while they are on holiday by a ‘scratchcard
tout’. The card will always be a winner, but to collect their prize
consumers need to attend a lengthy presentation, often with alcohol
supplied, and pressured into signing a contract for an ‘exclusive’
club.
After spending thousands of pounds, consumers find they have
bought little more than access to an internet booking service.
To fight back against the scammers, officers from the OFT and
trading standards will hand out fake holiday club scratchcards at
Bristol International Airport this Friday (12 October). The card
has a strip which when scratched off reveals a warning.
The awareness campaign, which is being carried out in
association with Spanish authorities, will also involve advertising
at the airport in Tenerife.
Consumers are advised to ask three simple questions if they are
approached by a ticket tout or go along to a presentation:
- Do they give you a cooling off period once the contract is
signed?
- Is everything you are promised in the presentation in the
contract?
- Can I take away the contract to consider at my
leisure?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, consumers are
advised to simply walk away.