Many brits opt for caravan holidays in the UK to save cash (Image: Getty) With scammers on the rise everywhere, it’s getting harder and harder to avoid the latest traps. This recent scam warning is directed at British tourists looking for caravan holidays. The scammers are reportedly using Facebook to target people looking for caravan holidays this summer, only to catfish them out of money.
One victim, Ann Crofts, 53, found her details were used to set up a shopping account after paying a £75 deposit for a caravan holiday at New Quay, Ceredigion. Crofts was targeted after she posted a message to a Facebook community page looking for holiday properties in West Wales. function loadOvpScript(){let el=document.
createElement('script');el.setAttribute('src','https://live.primis.
tech/live/liveView.php?s=114945&playerApiId=v114945');document.getElementById('ovp-primis').
appendChild(el)}window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.
detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v114945"){if(window.
document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.
float('disable')}}}catch(e){}});window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',()=>{setTimeout(()=>{if(typeof flagTcfLoaded!=='undefined'&&flagTcfLoaded===!0){loadOvpScript()ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP flagTcfLoaded',new Date())}else{document.
addEventListener("tcfLoaded",()=>{loadOvpScript()ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP tcfLoaded',new Date())})}},1500)}) A Facebook user got in touch and claimed they owned a caravan on a site owned by holiday firm Haven, so Ms Crofts began directly messaging the person to discuss hiring it out. Related articles NatWest, Barclaycard, Halifax customers told which card best to use abroad Surprising Spanish hotspot is 'becoming a luxury destination' Locals in UK town raise £3k for street cleaner to go on holiday - bosses say no Surprise surprise, once she learned she was being conned the scammer blocked her.
She has since reported it to Facebook. Speaking to the BBC , Croft said: "I live in China and come home just a few months a year. I just wanted to spend time with my family.
" Another victim, 17-year-old Rebecca, paid a £240 deposit to someone advertising a caravan holiday, only to be told it didn’t exist after she turned up at the site. She said to the BBC : "When I phoned the police, they took my details and all the information that I had, but were told there wasn’t much they could have done, as the person who scammed us could be anywhere in the world. "It hasn’t been the easiest couple of years for us as a family, so to lose this money, it is a lot for us.
The summer is here, and we needed that money." The scams often work by urging the victim to pay a deposit to secure the sale by saying there is a lot of interest and then they unfortunately lose their money. Trending SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you.
This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy A spokesperson from Facebook’s owner, Meta, said it didn’t "allow fraudulent activity on our platforms and are investigating the accounts brought to our attention".
It added: "We are continually investing in protections against fraud for people who use our platforms and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations. Which? Consumer expert Lisa Webb said holiday scams are extremely common, and added: “Whether that be home rentals, or visiting places, or car rentals - those sort of things that you might be looking for on the cheap during the summer holidays. "That's not to say everything out there is a scam, but it is worth remembering that during the holiday time, you are much more likely to be experiencing these scams.
".
