How a Holiday Scam works & how to spot one before it’s too late!

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A holiday scam is a type of scam that will take advantage of potential travelers who are looking to go on holiday by tricking them with falsely advertised fake holiday packages.


Often, these fake holiday packages will include ideal accommodation or timeshare. It is easier than you think to fall for a holiday scam as the packages look legitimate as well as the websites they are advertised on.

How does a holiday scam work?

-- You will come across a website with an unbelievable holiday package. Alternatively, you could receive an email promoting an amazing holiday package.

-- The deal is only running for the next few hours, so you need to pay for the package on the fake website before the time runs out and you miss the deal.

-- You input your private details on the seemly genuine website, therefore giving away your card details.

-- The purchase goes through, but you never receive the holiday package that you paid for.

-- The cybercriminals now have access to your credit cards, etc. as well as any other private details you provided on the fake website.


How to spot a holiday scam:

-- Always remember that if it sounds too good to be true then it most probably is!

-- The deal is on a suspicious website that you’ve never heard before.

-- You are sent the holiday package via an unsolicited email that you do not recognise.

-- The URL of the website includes “http” and not “https”.

-- There is a sense of urgency, such as you only have a few hours left or there is only 1 package left.

-- You are encouraged to include all your personal and banking details on the website.

-- If you receive an email, there is a link or attachment you need to click on – never click on anything in an email that you do not recognise!

-- You are unable to contact anyone to confirm that the holiday package is legit.

Here’s what you can do!

Contact our OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) department immediately and we will do what we can to assist you. Email contact@osint.co.za or call 021 110 0422.

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