Warnings after multiple people scammed by North Yorkshire 'glamping site'
Police have reported a case to action fraud
Last updated 19th Nov 2024
We're hearing how multiple people have fallen victim to a glamping scam in North Yorkshire.
Ryan Swain's finance booked online a weekend away at what was called a 'Stargazing Dome' in the village of Knayton.
But when they turned up - it was just an empty field.
The website they had booked had used images taken from other websites to make appear
Ryan has told us he's heard of multiple case where people have been disappointed when they've turned up to a holiday that was never going to happen.
He said;
"I was upset more so with how do these people get away with this.
"There's a lot of things looking back maybe we should've done, but then it's not at the forefront of your mind, especially when the website looks absolutely authentic.
"It's affects everything, it affects your morality, it affects your outlook on life, and it affects your trust"
They've since been reimbursed by their bank
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:
“We’ve received a report from the owner of a caravan and glamping site that members of the public have been arriving thinking they have paid for a stay through a third-party website, but there is no record of their booking.
“We have referred the matter to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud. We’re aware the reportee has also reported the third-party website to the National Cyber Security Centre, and has contacted Facebook and other online platforms where it is being advertised.
“We would urge anyone who’s been affected by this to contact us and make a report to the police – you can report online via our website, or call 101."
Rob Lilley-Jones, a consumer expert at Which says;
"There's a few things to look out for if the website you're on looks suspicious.
"Does the website have either a 'contact us' section or a 'privacy policy'. If it doesn't have either of those on the page, that should definitely be a concern.
"You should also check how old the website is.
"There's a domain checker called who.is - where you can copy and paste any web url into the checker, and it'll tell you how old the website it.
"If the website turns out to be relatively new or has just been set up - then that should really raise alarm bells too."