Agents report ‘interceptor’ fraud Juliet Dennis
Anti-fraud group Profit has issued a plea to travel companies for help on a ‘booking interception’ scam. The group has recently been
contacted by several travel agents about clients who had already paid for bookings but who were subsequently approached by a deceptive third party. Agents said clients had been
charged by the third party for services included in the booking, unaware the company was not part of the agency they had originally booked with. The scam appears to have
affected airline and hotel bookings. Recent examples flagged
to Profit include airline seat selection pages being blocked
before a third party pops up on the website as an ‘authorised agent’ to charge to book the seat. Another is where a customer
arrives at their hotel to be told the room has been incorrectly booked, such as for a different date. When the customer searches online for the agent’s customer service details, they instead find themselves dealing with a third party which rebooks the room but later takes a sum of money from the client’s card in an unauthorised transaction. Profit chairman Barry Gooch
urged firms whose customers have reported a similar experience to get in touch, with a view to investigating further as increasing numbers of cases indicate the issue could be more widespread than first thought.
Reuben’s Retreat hails Globes guests for £15k donations
Travel Weekly reporters
More than £15,000 was raised for Reuben’s Retreat at the Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards as the charity officially kicked off its One in a Million campaign. Founder Nicola Graham told
1,200 guests about plans to raise the “final build million” to complete the conversion of a former hospital site in Derbyshire into a retreat for families of children with complex medical needs or those who have lost a child (Travel Weekly, January 16). The fundraising began with a £2,000 donation from Travel Weekly
4 23 JANUARY 2025
parent company Jacobs Media before generous guests boosted the final tally raised on the night to £15,545. Graham, who attended the event
with her elder son and Hays Travel apprentice Isaac, reminded guests of the charity’s launch at the 2013 Globe Awards, adding: “We all have the ability to leave our world a better place than we found it. We all have the capacity to give back and to help others. “Tonight, I ask for your continued
support so that we may realise our ambitious multimillion-pound vision and go on to reach many more families.” Speaking after the fundraising
total was confirmed, she added: “To
share our cause on this platform was outstanding and we are so grateful for the continued love and support from Travel Weekly. The vital money raised exceeded our expectations and the many supportive conversations we had were heartwarming. “The industry has taken Reuben
and his Retreat to their hearts and it is a monumental moment in our history to circle back from that announcement in 2013 and head towards smashing our target together.” Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief
This is a complex crime and I suspect some travel firms are not even aware it is happening to their clients
“I really need to know how
widespread this is,” said Gooch. “I’m aware of 20 to 30 similar
cases. This appears to be a complex crime and I suspect some travel companies may not even be aware it is happening to their clients.” An Oxfordshire agency said a staff
member had a similar experience before Christmas. While trying to book a flight seat allocation online, the employee received a
call from someone claiming to be from the airline to take payment. The agent said: “This is
incredibly concerning. How many others may be targeted by this?” It follows reports by The Travel
Network Group in May 2024 of the increasing threat of fraudulent airline websites. The group issued urgent advice after two members were targeted by sites posing as “legitimate airline booking portals”. The Advantage Travel Partnership
said it had not received any recent scam reports by members. Chief operating officer Paul Nunn said: “We’ve been made aware of this scam by Profit and subsequently
passed the details on to members.” i To contact Profit, email:
contactus@profit.uk.com
Nicola
Graham and son Isaac at the Globe
Travel Awards
of Travel Weekly Group, said: “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have supported Nicola and the team for more than a decade as they strive to fulfil their vision in memory of Reuben. “The travel industry has played
such an important role in those efforts since the launch of the charity, and it was fitting that Globes guests were able to begin this final push to ‘complete the Retreat’ with
so many generous donations.” i Globe Travel Awards, pages 12-16
travelweekly.co.uk
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