A recent poll carried out by TTG found agents are more concerned about fraudulent bookings this year than they were pre-pandemic.
Nearly 74% of respondents said they were more worried about bogus business in 2023, with only 18% saying fraud was not a greater concern for them compared with 2019. Around 8% of respondents were unsure.
The study was made up of 50% high street agents, 45% homeworkers, 3% call centre agents and 2% online agents.
Despite there being more concern amongst agents, only 23% had been affected by a fraudulent booking – to the best of their knowledge – in the past three months.
However, 61% of respondents believe they had successfully identified and thwarted a scam during the past three months.
One respondent said: "I lost several thousand of pounds on a fraudulent booking in January 2022, using fake or stolen credit cards.
"It is devastating to a small business and has made me much more alert to potential fraud in the future."
Another – who said they avoid taking bookings within seven-10 days of travel – advised agents to use specialist software to check the cards of new customers.
One agent added: "Unfortunately, whilst the chargeback model is in place, nothing will be done about fraud as it is always the retailer that ends up footing the bill, and the credit card companies don’t need to do anything as they are not at a loss."
The findings come after a bogus travel agent, who defrauded hundreds of holidaymakers in a scam worth around £1.2 million, was jailed for nine years.
