Money blog: These are the most common holiday booking scams - and the red flags to watch out for (2024)

PrettyLittleThing has become the latest retailer to introduce returns fees.

The fashion brand, which is owned by Boohoo, started charging all customers £1.99 for returns from 3 June.

Customers who are PLT Royalty members, which costs £9.99 a year, will also have to pay the charge.

The retailer joins other brands such as Zara, which started charging £1.95 for postal returns in 2022, and Boohoo, which introduced a £1.99 fee in July 2022, in introducing a returns cost.

Next also introduced a £2.50 charge for courier returns last year.

PrettyLittleThing declined to comment but confirmed charges had been introduced.

By James Sillars, business reporter

Two major themes for financial markets to focus on today: the results of the EU parliamentary elections and hiring in the United States.

Both are knocking stock markets globally this morning, with the FTSE 100 opening sharply down along with its European counterparts.

If we look at all this chronologically, the much-stronger-than-expected US employment numbers released on Friday afternoon have put a lid on talk of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve central bank.

Global investors are crying out for cheaper borrowing costs and that now seems a distant prospect, with some market watchers even predicting it will be 2025 before the Fed can act.

The dollar also strengthened when it emerged there were 272,000 net new jobs created in the world's biggest economy last month. A figure around 175,000 had been predicted.

The fear here for the Fed is that strong employment and wage growth will push up US inflation.

The FTSE opened 0.6% lower at 8,195 after Friday's decline of almost 0.5%.

The DAX in Germany and French CAC were down 0.7% and 1.9% respectively.

The opening performances reflected Emmanuel Macron calling French parliamentary elections after his party was trounced in the EU vote by Marine Le Pen's far-right group.

Wider results also showed big gains for far-right parties in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

The euro hit a near two-year low versus the pound in Asia dealing and also lost further ground against the dollar.

It's good news if you have a holiday booked in the euro area, as your pound will go further when converted to the single currency.

By Emily Mee, Money team

You've been looking forward to your trip for months, but as you're waiting at the airport you discover - to much frustration - that your flight has been cancelled.

Damn! Better go on to social media to tweet the company - you're hoping it might get their attention quicker than waiting on hold for an agent or in a long queue at the airport with hundreds of other passengers.

Within a short while, you have a reply - finally some good news! The airline asks you to DM them, and after some back and forth they're willing to book you on to another flight. They'll need your payment details again, though.

Little did you realise, this was a tricky-to-spot scam. In your weariness you hadn't realised you were talking to a fake social media profile posing as your chosen airline.

This is one common holiday booking scam that has been tricking people out of their cash online.

In a report this year, Lloyds revealed holiday purchase scams have risen by 7% over the past year, with nearly half starting on Facebook.

The scams to watch out for

• Clone websites - these can appear for airlines, holidays, villas and more. Although you may think you're on a legitimate site, you may not have spotted the URL has been changed. You may even get fake confirmation emails or booking references.
• Social media promotions - similar to the clone websites, these can often impersonate airlines or hotels, or they may advertise accommodation that doesn't exist.
• Fake activities - when travellers end up paying for activities from fraudulent operators and the tour or activity does not exist.
• Phishing emails - these can appear to come from a legitimate provider and will often ask travellers to confirm their personal and payment details.
• Fake social media messages (as we mentioned above) - after passengers reach out for help on social media, scammers might reply posing as the airline or tour operator.
• Service fees for documents - a long-running scam sees copycat websites pop up where a fee is charged to process or renew a document or health insurance card.
• Airport parking - some scammers will claim to have a "safe place" for your car but that might not be the case, with some drivers returning to find their cars filthy, damaged or with added mileage.
• Counterfeit Atol numbers - while the Atol sign should mean your holiday is protected, scammers can use counterfeit numbers on fake web pages.

How can you avoid getting scammed?

Consumer champion Jane Hawkes, also known as Lady Janey, says it's important to do your research in the first place.

If the website claims to be part of any official travel body, check this for yourself.

For example, you can check if a company is truly Atol protected here.

Read reviews for the company too - although be aware that some may have fake reviews (these aren't easy to spot, but you should check for things like whether lots of reviews were posted at the same time, if lots of the reviews go over-the-top, and if many use the same phrasing).

You can also do a Google Maps search for the property being advertised.

Check contact details are readily available on websites and that there is a telephone number.

"Many scam sites purposely don't have one," Jane explains.

"If you can't get hold of a company for general enquiries, it'll be a whole lot more difficult if something goes wrong."

Jane also says you should check for red flags such as poor spelling and grammar in adverts, limited-time offers, and the pressure to make decisions on the spot.

She recommends keeping all communication on the official platform, for example, when booking through Airbnb.

"Scammers will try to lure you away in order to gain your personal and banking details. Steer away from any personal correspondence via email, WhatsApp or text," she says.

When it comes to booking, Jane says to never action a bank transferor provide your bank details in response to an advert.

She suggests using a credit card if the offer is legitimate - this means you'll benefit from extra cover if anything goes wrong.

Don't agree to PayPal transfers, especially if the transfer is made as "PayPal Friends and Family" as this reduces the protection PayPal can offer.

For the highest level of consumer protection, Jane recommends booking a package holiday with a trusted travel agent.

If you have been the victim of a scam then you should report it to the Financial Conduct Authority, Trading Standards, Police Action Fraud or Citizens Advice Scam Action as appropriate.

Every Monday we get an expert to answer your money problems or consumer disputes. Find out how to submit yours at the bottom of this post. Today's question is...

I purchased a new Candy Heat pump dryer from AO in December thinking I was making a more environmentally ethical purchase than a cheaper condenser or vented dryer. I carried out research and was satisfied with AO and Candy's description of drying time being a "little longer".

Fast forward to February I could stand it no longer and called Candy to discuss a "fault" as it was taking nine hours to dry a small load and three cycles. I was informed this was normal and not a fault. I then called AO, which liaised with Candy to send out an authorised engineer.

The engineer found no fault but told me he receives many many complaints about this model.

I have raised it with both AO and Candy, but they consider the matter closed as there is no fault.

Where do I go from here?

Donna Adams, Dumfries

Scott Dixon, from The Complaints Resolver, says the first thing to remember is that your contract is always with the retailer, not the manufacturer.

"You have done everything right. You carried out research and expected drying time to take a little longer," he says.

The law

Scott says theConsumer Rights Act 2015right applies. It says goods ought to be:

• Fit for purpose
• As described
• Satisfactory quality
• Last a reasonable length of time

The act gives you 30 days to reject faulty goods - the onus is on you to prove that the goods are faulty. Once 30 days has elapsed, the onus is on the retailer to prove that the goods were not faulty when sold. After six months it changes again - the onus is on you to prove the goods had inherent faults when it was sold.

"The engineer verbally confirmed an issue and that he receives many complaints about this particular model," says Scott.

"They will never put this in writing because they are not working for the consumer. They will simply write 'no faults' - case closed.

"This is one of many tried and tested fob-offs retailers use to deny you a remedy and 99% of the time it works."

The crux of your complaint, Scott says, is that the goods are not "as described", and your experience simply does not match what you or any reasonable person would expect.

Had you known it would take nine hours, you would have made a different decision.

What you can do

Scott says: "Google search the make and model of this particular heat pump dryer. It's likely you will find a forum where others have shared similar experiences. This will prove there are inherent issues and reinforce your case.

"You could also get an independent report from a qualified professional who can offer a written opinion to confirm what the engineer said.

"I take the view that you are entitled to reject the goods as they were not 'as described', the goods were misrepresented to you and you were misled into making a transactional decision you would not have otherwise made.

"The Consumer Rights Act 2015, the Misrepresentation Act 1967 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 support this."

If all this falls on deaf ears, Scott suggests writing to the chief executive of AO, John Roberts (his email address can be found online with a bit of digging).

"It's unlikely that the CEO will read it, although his escalated complaints team will," says Scott.

"If all else fails, followSimple Procedure in Scotland(small claims court in England and Wales)."

Often, sending screenshots of your initial court papers will be enough to resolve a dispute before lodging the official complaint, Scott says.

AO response

After being contacted by Sky News, AO arranged to revisit Ms Adams's home.

They then told the Money blog: "Following a further inspection, Candy's engineer confirmed Mrs Adams's dryer was faulty so we've been in touch with her to offer a replacement with our apologies."

Candy did not respond to a request for comment.

This featureis not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about.Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:

• The form above - you need to leave a phone number or email address so we can contact you for further details
• Email news@skynews.com with the subject line "Money blog"
• WhatsApp ushere

By Narbeh Minassian, news reporter

The time on your ticket is 7pm, but you already know it's not going to start then.

So, what time do you get to the cinema?

If you're arriving at 7.10pm, you're almost certainly safe, but any later and you may cut it fine.

Here, we've gathered information from the UK's major cinema chains and spoken to experts about how long you can expect adverts and trailers to run until the main event actually begins.

Cineworld

According to the Cineworld website, ads and trailers "normally last between 30-45 minutes before the actual film begins".

The cinema also asks customers to collect tickets at least 20 minutes before the listed time "to make the most of their visit".

Odeon

There appears to be a shorter wait at Odeon, which claims advert and trailer length is "typically 15-25 minutes" - but this varies with each performance and can be "considerably less".

"We always recommend to avoid disappointmentyou arrivewith enough time to enter the screenat the scheduled performance start time," the website says.

Everyman

There's a wider range at Everyman, which says it plays 25 minutes' worth of adverts and trailers.

But beware - "the length of ads and trailers varies for special events and it can be between 15 and 40 minutes, subject to type of event".

Showcase

There isn't any specific information on the website and we got no response when we reached out to them, but Showcase did respond to a customer on social media on this very question.

In a May 2022 tweet, the cinema said: "The advertised time is when the adverts/ trailers start and are approximately 20-25 minutes long before each show."

Vue

Vue offers a more precise window: "Please be aware that most films have around 20 to 25 minutes of ads and trailers before the feature starts."

Its only recommendation is to be in your seat at the time stated so you "don't take any chances in missing the start of your film".

'In general, it's 24 minutes'

Karen Stacey, the chief executive of Digital Cinema Media, which supplies advertisem*nt for the likes of Odeon, Vue and Cineworld, told Sky News the wait is typically 24 minutes - 12 minutes for ads, and 12 for trailers.

This remains true whatever the film and whatever the time of day, with about 95% of DCM's schedules "exactly the same".

"It's very formulaic, that's what consumers are used to," she said. "By making it consistent in length, people are always happy to come and join in."

She said 24 minutes gives schedulers enough time to prepare the film and allow a more staggered entry for the audience - while also bringing in revenue.

Any longer than half an hour, though, is "rare".

"Cinemas want to have as many films in as possible and they want to be mindful they don't finish too late in the evening," Ms Stacey said.

"My experience working with them is they are quite strict."

Are there rules over the length?

As the above suggests, there aren't any set rules or procedures governing cinema advertising length.

Kathryn Jacob, chief executive of cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean, said the length was determined by the cinema.

"Some cinemas take only one ad, like the BFI IMAX, and the maximum length is determined by the cinemas themselves," she told Sky News.

"Factors determining the length depend on demand from advertisers and the films that acinemamight want to showcase to the audience that's at the screening via trailers."

Cinema policy is the key decider and she said research has shown audiences find advertising in cinema "part of the entertainment".

Do viewers like the adverts and trailers?

Ms Jacob may have a point.

According to research published by DCM, advertising in cinemas is more effective than in any other media.

For a 60-second advert in the cinema, viewers will watch 48 seconds, which is a far higher proportion than TV or social media.

It is also highly trusted, with DCM citing a survey by IPA Touchpoints claiming nearly 100% of respondents say they trust what they see in the cinema - for comparison, 75% trust TV adverts.

Avid cinema-goer Bill Boswell, who pays £18 a month for an unlimited pass at Cineworld on the Isle of Wight, said he was happy to wait.

"I know that these adverts help pay for the cinema to run," he told Sky News. "The cinema is my place to escape, so it's good for my mental health and I would not want to lose it.

"If I watch at home, I can sometimes reach for my mobile phone, but a film on the big screen would get my 100% attention, so I just accept the pre-show adverts."

But what are the drawbacks?

The main thing Mr Boswell considers is his car, as his nearest Cineworld offers three hours of free parking.

"I would sometimes plan on 30 minutes of trailers and work back so I can fit the free parking in, as the cinema costs enough already," he said.

"If the film is more than two and a half hours, I park outside town and walk to the cinema."

Consumer expert Martin Lewis raised parking tickets as one of the issues in a 2019 tweet, in which he said he waited 33 minutes for a film to start.

Responding to one user, he said greater clarity would help customers to save on parking tickets and babysitting, while giving "legitimate expectation".

"And there's no rigorous research that prices [cinema tickets] would go up - they're often set by market demand," he added.

Are there alternatives?

If you want to avoid the pre-show altogether, your best bet might be independent or community cinemas.

Draycott Community Cinema, for example, is the only cinema in the Somerset village and is run by volunteers.

Committee member Chloe Haywood told Sky News they are always debating how long to make their pre-show.

They try to keep it to two short trailers, often without any adverts - though they are planning to find a sponsor later this year.

"We do find that it sets the audience up for the screening," she said, referring to their brief pre-show.

"We don't have trailers for long. They're to advertise the next two films, any local news that might be of interest, and then standard 'switch off your phones' type info."

We had a lot of feedback after our in-depth look at why concert ticket prices are so high these days...

Here's some of what you said...

Why do arenas and sports events have to charge so much for food and drinks? Over £8 a pint is absolutely scandalous and opportunistic greed. Britain is an absolute rip off.

Lee J

In the same way that football has been gentrified, music is being steered towards the rich and middle class - real fans like me are no longer wanted by agents like Ticketmaster.

Frontman

The ones responsible are the ones paying the prices like with coffee shops and other consumer products. Stop paying stupid prices, they won't charge them!

Toby

Why are resale tickets allowed to be tripled or quadrupled? Recently offered a David Gilmour ticket for £600???

Springbok

1970... $7.50 to see Elvis at his prime in Vegas. The greatest entertainer ever.
2020... £300 to see Taylor Swift. The most overrated singer around today.

I know who got the best deal there!

Steve Elliott

A quick calculation shows $7.50 in 1970 is the equivalent of $60.61 today.

Next, a brief mention of Subway's decision to change its ordering process in all stores to electronic kiosks by the end of the year...

Some readers complained in our comments box but when we asked our followers on LinkedIn whether they liked or loathed self-service via a screen, this was the result...

Another post that got you exercised contained quotes from the boss of Emirates comparing Heathrow to a Second World War airport...

There wasn't much love for the UK's biggest airport from readers - or for any other airport across the country...

There need to be a lot of change at Heathrow! Specially with immigration checks. The long queues are killing me, someone can't wait 2hrs in a queue to get a clearance, it's absurd!

Cheka

Heathrow is not the only one. Coming back to UK through Gatwick yesterday was a sobering experience. Tatty floor covering, scuffed and drab paint everywhere. Wall graphics lacking any imagination or vibrancy. Narrow walkways and corridors. Doesn't show the UK in a good light all.

Frequent traveller

Heathrow a Second World War airport? Try coming off a plane with 300 others at Leeds Bradford and queueing outside in the cold and pouring rain trying to shuffle in through a small door that looks like it used to be an emergency exit. How difficult can it be to erect something?

Paula Blue

I totally disagree Heathrow is as bad as the president says. Has he ever visited Manchester Airport?

AJ

A major HMRC glitch on Monday meant 500,000 families did not get their child benefit on time.Multiple readers wrote in with their views...

So they will be paying compensation then? As they would fine us for late payments...

Cybertuck

HMRC? Apologise? Due to an error by working tax credits, I've only just been paid six years'worth. And as to child maintenance payments… I can't even begin to discuss that without crying.

LWE

Is there any government IT system in this country that works as it should?

Tudor1

I don't have children, very sadly, but if I were told that HMRC were "sorry" for this glitch I would probably feel very violent. We get a lot of apologies these days which mean absolutely nothing (regrettably).

Gillydhill

Confirming the problem had been fixed late on Monday afternoon, HMRC said: "We are very sorry some customers didn't receive their scheduled child benefit payments as expected and we understand the concern and difficulty this may have caused.

"We've fixed the problem and affected customers will now receive their payments on Wednesday morning."

The news agenda this week has been dominated by election campaigning - with the first leaders' debate taking place on Tuesday night.

It saw Rishi Sunak cheer his supporters with the repeated claim that Labour would put up taxes by £2,000.

Sir Keir Starmer was, most observers thought, far too slow to respond - but the claim began to unravel the next day.

Data and economics editor Ed Conway's analysis of the Tory calculations suggested the £2,000 rise was actually spread out over four years - so £500 a year may have been a more suitable number for the PM to throw at his opponent.

Concluding his piece, Conway said you "probably shouldn't" believe the figures - but if you used the same methodology as the Tories, it would show they had put up taxes by £3,000 a year over the course of this parliament.Or £13,000, if you wanted to present the numbers in the same way as Mr Sunak did during the debate.

Read Conway's full analysis here...

Some distance from Westminster, the 20 countries that use the euro saw an interest rate cut this week - the European Central Bank moving before the US Fed and Bank of England.

A cut in the UK is currently priced in by markets for September - in the meantime, British holidaymakers could benefit from a weaker euro against the pound.

Business presenter Ian King says a potential weakening of the euro could have wider implications.

He explained: "It comes with risks, not least in terms of pushing up the cost of imports - particularly energy, which is priced in dollars, which could in turn push up inflation."

The price of exports into the US could go down - potentially undercutting American firms.

King went on: "A weaker euro would also carry risks in a US election year in which both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, his challenger, will be seeking to out-bid each other with protectionist policies."

Read his full analysis here...

The Money blog is your place for consumer news, economic analysis and everything you need to know about the cost of living - bookmark news.sky.com/money.

It runs with live updates every weekday - while on Saturdays we scale back and offer you a selection of weekend reads.

Check them out this morning and we'll be back on Monday with rolling news and features.

The Money team is Bhvishya Patel, Jess Sharp, Katie Williams, Brad Young and Ollie Cooper, with sub-editing by Isobel Souster. The blog is edited by Jimmy Rice.

The BBC's content arm is among the suitors vying to buy the television production company which owns the rights to The Gruffalo.

Sky News has learnt that BBC Studios is participating in a sale process for Magic Light Pictures, which has won three BAFTAs and secured a quartet of Oscar nominations.

The auction is being run by Gotham Street, a specialist media deals boutique.

A number of other bidders are also said to be involved in the process given the quality of Magic Light's content library, which includes a number of works by The Gruffalo's creators, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

The Gruffalo has become one of Britain's best-known children's characters, telling the story of an adventurous mouse that fends off a series of would-be predators by telling them about a supposedly imaginary creature called a gruffalo.

In the 2011 sequel, The Gruffalo's Child, the mouse then scares off a young gruffalo by using shadows to project a giant version of itself.

The two films have been distributed internationally by Magic Light, and along with the original Gruffalo books have sparked substantial merchandising revenues as well as a theme park attraction at Chessington World of Adventures.

The woman alleged to be the inspiration for the stalker in hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer is suing the streaming platform for $170m (£133m).

The show is said to be based on the real-life experiences of writer Richard Gadd, who plays himself as he copes with stalker Martha Scott.

Fiona Harvey, 58, claims she isthe inspiration for Martha, who begins stalking Gadd after he serves her a free cup of tea in the pub where he works.

In the lawsuit, Ms Harvey has accusedNetflixof spreading "brutal lies", including that she is a "twice convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison".

"Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money," it states.

"As a result of defendants' lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey's life had been ruined."

Sky News's US partner network NBC News reports the lawsuit described the show's claim "this is a true story" as "the biggest lie in television history".

"Netflix destroyed a woman, claiming, among many allegations, that she was a convicted woman," Richard Roth, a lawyer for Ms Harvey, wrote in an email.

"It never contacted her. It never checked the facts. It never made any effort to understand the truth of its 'true story!'"

The lawsuit seeks actual damages and compensatory damages at $50m (£39m) each, punitive damages at $20m (£16m); as well as "all profits" from Baby Reindeer at $50m (£39m).

A Netflix spokesperson told Sky News: "We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd's right to tell his story."