Brits heading off to Spain for their summer holidays have been issued with an urgent warning about rental scams.
Thousands of British holiday makers will soon be boarding their flights for Spain as they look to enjoy a bit of relaxation and sun shine.
Many will have booked their accommodation on the internet through established online booking platforms such as Airbnb.
Others, though, may have tried independent sites offering rental flats at basement bargain prices.
Spanish authorities say cheap offers can be a sign of fraud and have warned travellers to be on their guard.
The warning is part of a campaign by Spain’s National Police along with Airbnb and Confianza Online offering advice to tourists on how to avoid being scammed and ripped off, when booking accommodation on the internet.
They say that an offer or promotion which seems too good to be true could be a scam and it is best to end all communication immediately.
Likewise they caution people to never click on unexpected links, that could redirect the user to a fake website designed to trick them into revealing credit card information as well as passwords.
Tiziana Tallaro, the general director of Confianza Online which evaluates the trustworthiness of websites selling goods, said: “The holidays are just around the corner and study data reveals that online fraud can affect people of all ages.
“Travellers can avoid scams by being cautious when browsing the Internet, evaluating the offers presented to us, often too good to be true, and ensuring that the payment methods they use are secure.
“Therefore, it is essential to follow the advice given by the National Police and book, pay and communicate through trusted platforms.”
Spain has seen a rise in holiday rental scams over the past few years, as fraudsters employ ever more devious ways to steal money from unsuspecting travellers.
Data from Spain’s Ministry of the Interior show Madrid and Andalucia as two worst affected areas in 2022.
According to the statistics, there were 1,550 cases of holiday rental scams recorded in Spain for that year.
Madrid (241 cases) and Andalucia (581 cases) accounted for 53 percent of these incidents.
