When Samantha Cook booked a surprise break for herself and her fiancé, she was looking forward to a night of escapism from her "relentless" work schedule. Scrolling through local glamping sites, an eye-catching £99 "stargazing dome" deal offered a futuristic pod with a transparent canopy and breathtaking views of twinkling North Yorkshire skies. The events manager and mother-of-one promptly received booking confirmation messages from a firm called Star Domes, along with a key code and an address in the small village of Knayton.
All set for their unusual getaway, Samantha arranged childcare and set off from nearby Malton with partner Ryan Swain. Nearing their destination, the excited couple were unable to find the dome and Samantha pulled up to a pub to ask for directions to what she assumed would be a local landmark. Instead, the people in the pub apologised and told her she had been scammed.
"I was devastated, I burst out crying because I had Ryan in the car," the 39-year-old said. "It was our last weekend until New Year that we had a full weekend together without work, so it was a bit gutting." Samantha, who is pregnant, and Ryan are victims of a scam website which has left dozens of people looking at an empty farmer's field instead of views of the heavens.
"Sam was mortified, in tears and heartbroken," Ryan, 34, said. "The website, looking back on it, looked really authentic and legitimate. "Everything was in place and then obviously when you put the postcode in, it tak.