The Advantage Travel Partnership is on the verge of signing a consortium-wide deal to allow members to access to the trade’s only database of confirmed fraudsters to help protect their businesses from crime.
Chief operations officer Paul Nunn, speaking at a workshop at this year’s annual conference in Benidorm, said a deal was currently being negotiated for the whole consortium with anti-fraud group Profit so members could use the Travel Industry Intelligence Hub.
Previously members could only sign up independently to use the counter fraud platform.
The web-based encrypted database of confirmed fraudsters, which has supporting documents, detailed information and matches with other databases, is run by a separate company called Montague Skyes rather than trade anti-fraud group Profit, which is a not-for-profit organisation.
The deal would enable Advantage members to cross-check payment details against those in the counter fraud system if they become suspicious about particular bookings and view details of previously committed frauds against other travel firms, for example.
Nunn said: “I am passionate about getting members access to this. We are trying to mitigate fraud in travel. We need to get more information on fraud and share details with agents. We are close to a deal to agreeing a deal to enable all members to be part of this system.”
Barry Gooch, chairman of Profit, told agents at the conference that becoming a victim of fraud was “nothing to be ashamed of”.
Agents heard that cuts in the police force nationwide had drastically reduced the effectiveness of fraud investigations and turned it into a “postcode lottery”.
Most fraud squads have been disbanded despite the fact around 25% of all crime is fraud and is on the rise, said Gooch.
Figures released this week by Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, shows there 6,457 reports of holiday fraud in the 12 months to March, with victims losing a combined £15,319,057 – 41% up on the previous year.
Gooch said smaller businesses tended to be a bigger target for fraudsters but urged agents who fall victim to fraud not to feel “isolated and alone”.
He added: “There is nothing to be ashamed of. Fraud is hard to detect and it’s a postcode lottery as to whether your fraud gets investigated. It is one of the biggest crimes in Britain and happens to the best of us.”
Advising agents on how to protect themselves from fraud, Gooch said they should avoid risky bookings such as high value, last minute enquiries; create a matrix of their vulnerabilities by recording details of fraud against their business; and take their time dealing with a sale if they feel concerned.
“If your staff feel uncomfortable about a booking, there is nothing wrong with saying: ‘I am having trouble with my IT, I will come back to you’ and then doing some research,” he said.
He said agents could do their own checks online to see, for example, if a client lives where they say they do, by looking at Google Maps and asking the client about places near to their home.
Other advice given to agents was to keep on top of their administration; be wary of clients using more than one card for a booking; and check what number clients are calling from as call line indicators, displaying the number calling, can be ‘spoofed’.
Advantage member Sharon May, owner of Worldwide Travel Solutions, said she was targeted over a six-month period during Covid when fraudsters stole her identity and set up a website using her Atol number and company name to take bookings.
The bookings were then cancelled but not refunded by the fraudsters just before clients were due to travel.
“I had one day when I was phoned up by 14 people screaming at me about their bookings. One family was at the airport and their flights had been cancelled,” said May, who added: “The support I had from Advantage was invaluable.”