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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Scammers target grandma's family holiday booking | Scammers target grandma's family holiday booking |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Tracy Canham fell victim to a Facebook scam after thinking she had booked a holiday in Lincolnshire | Tracy Canham fell victim to a Facebook scam after thinking she had booked a holiday in Lincolnshire |
| Tracy Canham fell victim to a Facebook scam after thinking she had booked a holiday in Lincolnshire | Tracy Canham fell victim to a Facebook scam after thinking she had booked a holiday in Lincolnshire |
| Published7 hours ago | |
| A grandmother was scammed out of hundreds of pounds after booking what she thought was a family holiday in Lincolnshire through Facebook. | A grandmother was scammed out of hundreds of pounds after booking what she thought was a family holiday in Lincolnshire through Facebook. |
| Tracy Canham, 60, from Coalville, Leicestershire, said she had paid £565 for a lodge at Tattershall Lakes Country Park, before she realised the profile sending messages to her was fake. | Tracy Canham, 60, from Coalville, Leicestershire, said she had paid £565 for a lodge at Tattershall Lakes Country Park, before she realised the profile sending messages to her was fake. |
| She told the BBC the profile had looked "authentic" and had exchanged several messages on the social media platform. | She told the BBC the profile had looked "authentic" and had exchanged several messages on the social media platform. |
| A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook, said it was "continually investing in protections against fraud". | A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook, said it was "continually investing in protections against fraud". |
| Ms Canham said she had booked the trip for her two granddaughters and it would have been her first holiday since she finished treatment for a serious illness. | Ms Canham said she had booked the trip for her two granddaughters and it would have been her first holiday since she finished treatment for a serious illness. |
| She said: "I was angry more than anything. I’d already told the grandchildren that we were going and they were really excited. | She said: "I was angry more than anything. I’d already told the grandchildren that we were going and they were really excited. |
| "The scammers are just awful. It’s not just the fact they take your money, it’s the impact they have. It’s disgusting really." | "The scammers are just awful. It’s not just the fact they take your money, it’s the impact they have. It’s disgusting really." |
| Ms Canham reported the incident to her bank and was eventually given a refund. | Ms Canham reported the incident to her bank and was eventually given a refund. |
| The BBC has contacted Away Resorts, which owns Tattershall Lakes Country Park, for comment. | The BBC has contacted Away Resorts, which owns Tattershall Lakes Country Park, for comment. |
| 'Too good to be true' | 'Too good to be true' |
| Action Fraud, the national centre for fraud and cybercrime, said people lost £12.3m to holiday fraud in 2023, with 6,640 cases reported to them. | Action Fraud, the national centre for fraud and cybercrime, said people lost £12.3m to holiday fraud in 2023, with 6,640 cases reported to them. |
| Claire Webb, director of Action Fraud, said: "When booking caravan holidays online, only use official or well-known holiday booking websites. | Claire Webb, director of Action Fraud, said: "When booking caravan holidays online, only use official or well-known holiday booking websites. |
| "If someone on a social media platform offers you a cheaper deal, or a price too good to be true, this could be a fraudster intent on stealing from you." | "If someone on a social media platform offers you a cheaper deal, or a price too good to be true, this could be a fraudster intent on stealing from you." |
| A spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta said: "We don’t allow fraudulent activity on our platforms and we remove this content as soon as we become aware of it. | A spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta said: "We don’t allow fraudulent activity on our platforms and we remove this content as soon as we become aware of it. |
| "We are for people who use our platforms and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations." | "We are for people who use our platforms and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations." |
| Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here, external. | Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here, external. |
| Related topics | Related topics |
| Cyber-crime | Cyber-crime |
| Tattershall | Tattershall |
| Holidays | Holidays |
| Coalville | Coalville |
| Fraud | Fraud |