Cyber Resilience
Cyber Comms Toolkit for August – Online Fraud
July 26, 2017 by bpcyber No Comments | Category Cyber Resilience, Cyber resilience communications
Online Fraud
Summer is here so it’s time to kick back and enjoy ourselves! However, while we relax and maybe spend more time online planning a holiday or festival, there are those who won’t have our best interests at heart.
In fact, figures from Action Fraud suggest the average amount lost per person to online fraud during the holidays in 2016 was approximately £1,200. In 2016, 5,826 cases of holiday booking fraud were reported to Action Fraud. The most common types of fraud related to:
- Holiday accommodation
- Airline tickets
- Sports, leisure and religious tickets
- Timeshares and holiday clubs
In common with previous years, the numbers of people reporting travel or ticket fraud to the police jumps in the summer. This is a very clear indication that fraudsters are targeting the most popular periods. Customers may be particularly vulnerable in 2017 as the overseas travel industry is reporting good early booking levels with accommodation and flights at a premium. Fraudsters could take advantage of this by offering “good deals” over the summer. These will then fail to materialise, leaving people out of pocket and with either no flights or nowhere to stay.
This toolkit contains communications material from existing trusted sources such as Action Fraud and Get Safe Online, so please feel free to use to raise awareness of online fraud.
How could you use this toolkit?
Each month we will ask organisations to use these toolkits to do:
| External Comms | Internal Comms |
| Scheduled a number of social media posts, blog or a press release if the subject is very relevant to their communities
|
a staff email or an article on staff intranet. |
KEY MESSAGES:
Stay safe online: Check the web address is legitimate and has not been altered by slight changes to a domain name – such as going from .co.uk to .org
Do your research: Don’t just rely on one review – do a thorough online search to check the company’s credentials. If a company is defrauding people there is a good chance that consumers will post details of their experiences, and warnings about the company.
Look for the logo: Check whether the company is a member of a recognised trade body such as ABTA. If you have any doubts, you can verify membership of ABTA online, at www.abta.com.
Pay safe: Be cautious if you’re asked to pay directly into a private individual’s bank account. Paying by direct bank transfer is like paying by cash – the money is very difficult to trace and is not refundable. Wherever possible, pay by credit card or a debit card.
Check paperwork: You should study receipts, invoices as well as terms and conditions. Be very wary of any companies that don’t provide any at all. When booking through a Holiday Club or Timeshare, get the contract thoroughly vetted by a solicitor before signing up.
Use your instincts: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Get free expert advice: For further advice on how to stay safe when booking or researching travel online, go to Get Safe Online.
SOCIAL MEDIA TEXT
Please feel free to use the following text or adapt to your particular audiences. You may wish the schedule regular social media posts:
Stay safe online this summer. Check that a web address is legit and not been changed b4 buying flights or tickets #CyberAwareScotland
Don’t rely on 1 review – do a thorough online search to check a company’s credentials before buying flights or tickets #CyberAwareScotland
Get the holiday you paid for – check if an online travel company is a member of a @ABTATravel before buying flights #CyberAwareScotland
Use your instincts! If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be CyberAwareScotland this summer when buying online!
Stay safe online when buying flights or festival tickets! Check the web address is legitimate and has not been altered by slight changes to a domain name – such as going from .co.uk to .org. For further advice on how to stay safe when booking or researching travel or tickets online, go to Get Safe Online.
Not everyone has your best interests at heart while you’re enjoying your summer break. Booking flights abroad or some festival tickets? Check whether the company you are buying from is a member of a recognised trade body such as ABTA. If you have any doubts, you can verify membership of ABTA online, at www.abta.com.
RESOURCES:
Tags: communications, cyber, cyber res, cyber resilience, online fraud, toolkits
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