It’s only a few months since we gave a warning on this page about being careful where you book your caravan holiday after it was reported that scammers on Facebook and Gumtree were selling holidays they could not provide. Now a perpetrator of one of these holiday scams has been jailed.
Samuel Higgins advertised holidays in Rhyl and Skegness on Gumtree and many people booked via his advert but pretty soon they discovered that the holiday didn’t exist, and now neither did their holiday fund.
Higgins from the Barnsley area had been advertising the holidays on Gumtree throughout 2013, all of the victims lost both their holiday fund and their holiday, leaving many disappointed families. Higgins fled to Spain but police finally caught up with him when he finally returned to the UK. He was jailed for 10 months this week at Mold Crown Court in a move that should put an end to his nefarious ways.
While social media and these selling sites mean that there are often bargains to be had, it does pay to exercise caution before sending money. Many of the families in this scam sent hundreds of pounds to an untraceable seller and have paid dearly, missing out on family holidays and losing a great deal of cash in the long term.
It’s always best to book your holiday through a reputable seller, or ideally directly through one of the main operators where not only will your money be safe but you’ll also be well protected in the unlikely event that something does go wrong along the way.
While it’s disappointing for the holidaymakers, maybe this sentence will discourage other scammers, though it’s unlikely. Exercise caution when you’re handing your holiday money over this year!
By: Kath Cross
