Jet2holidays sends in private detectives to crack down on false holiday sickness claims

| May 03, 2017, 17:32

UK tour operator Jet2holidays has enlisted private detectives to help in the fight against false holiday sickness claims.

The operator says its investigators will be stationed in resorts, “looking out for touts and Claims Management Companies (CMC’s) attempting to lure holidaymakers into making false claims”.

It follows an update to the wording of the UK Foreign Office’s travel advice for Spain, warning of a rise in companies encouraging holidaymakers to submit claims for gastric illness during their stay.

Travel Weekly revealed last month that some Spanish holidaymakers were considering dropping all-inclusive to the UK market as a result of a sharp spike in claims, which they say are unfounded.

A Jet2holidays spokesman said: “These touts and companies are peddling fraud and are brazenly handing out leaflets telling British holidaymakers that they can cover the cost of their trip by just filling out a form, irrespective of whether they have been ill or not.

“The detectives we have recruited have one purpose and one purpose only – to prevent this dishonest behaviour from ruining the holidays of our customers.

“What holidaymakers might not realise is that this is fraud and if caught they personally could bear the brunt of the law – not the claims firms. No-one cares more about our customers’ holidays than us, which is why we have decided to invest in measures to tackle the holiday sickness touts in our major resorts this year.”

The updated Foreign Office Travel advice says: “There have been reports of an increase in holidaymakers being encouraged to submit a claim for personal injury if they have experienced gastric illness during their stay.”

Submitting a false claim is a fraud and holidaymakers, not claims management companies, will face the consequences if found to be making a false claim.