Think twice before booking your next holiday, say Rutland travel experts

Rutland travel agents are once again urging holidaymakers to think twice before booking their next trip away this summer.

New research from TSB shows nearly £1,000,000 has been lost to scammers through fake holiday websites and adverts in the past two years alone.

More scams were found on social media platforms than anywhere else last year, which have increased by almost 240% - with the average victim losing nearly £1,000.

Over £470,000 was lost through payments for non-existent flights, while fake campervan holidays were the second-most common scam.

Alan Gorrell, from Oakham, has been in the travel industry for decades, and said there's a number of things to know before your next getaway:

'You can't trust reviews, because anyone can get reviews - you could produce 100 in a day, or pay a company and they'll make them for you.'

'You can look on their social media, to see if the company has an account and how long it's been operating.'

'Many of the scammers will say they don't accept credit card because of the costs, but it's because they want bank transfer.'

'If the company has a credit card facility, then for sure it's a verified business because the banks check.'

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.