Christmas is a time for travel. That sadly means it’s a time for scams, particularly fake holiday rentals.
It’s when a scammer lists a fake, or completely falsely listed property to ensnare people into departing with their cash. Scary as it sounds, it’s very common and spikes this time of year.
Check out Max and Alex's stories below
Even if we might think we’re ‘not the type’ to fall victim. At Wise, we see scams target people of all ages and backgrounds. Everyone is vulnerable at some point. Those times we might book a holiday late, or if our budget is tighter than usual, or if we’re travelling somewhere busy.
To help raise awareness, we’ve partnered with Nicky Kelvin, from The Points Guy, to create a ‘fauxchure’. It’s a brochure filled with fake listings, each with some of the main red flags we see based on real stories.
“It’s easy to think we’re invulnerable to scams, that we’re not the sort of person to fall victim to a scammer. Yet everyone is vulnerable at some point: whether we’re booking a holiday during a busy period, doing so last minute or on a tight budget. Unfortunately, this is why scammers target people during the festive season.
It’s important to protect yourself. We all want great deals, but make sure you thoroughly check any offer that seems too good to be true. Most importantly, protect yourself by ensuring that all payment takes place securely – and never via bank transfer.”
Wise is a proud supporter of the Take Five campaign. The campaign provides straightforward, impartial advice that helps prevent email, phone-based and online fraud.
Its advice is simple, but hugely important: stop, challenge, protect - three steps that can be the difference between being scammed and protecting your money and yourself.
Next time you receive a request asking for your financial details, a payment or something else related to your personal details, take five and check each step.
Financial fraud can take many forms, shysters flog fake tickets, pretend to be love interests, pose as the police and try any number of other guises to scam. Take Five is a great resource for learning about these different forms of fraud, and what to do if you think you’re a victim of a scam.
If you’re a Wise customer and are worried that you have been scammed, please visit here for more information.