The number of frauds with fake websites of famous hotels in Turkey, designed for wealthy foreign tourists, has doubled. Online fraud is at its peak, with tourists losing considerable sums – $2,000 or more each. Such a warning was published by the Turkish mass media.
“Never pay all the money instantly when booking online and always check and double-check the sites,” they advise tourists. The number of fake websites of hotels and travel agencies is growing at an incredible pace, Turkish experts add. In Mugla alone, 26 sites were discovered in one week, which very plausibly imitates the sites of famous luxury hotels.
Losses of tourists are significant. One Belgian tourist, Turkish media reports, paid 45,000 lira ($2,505) for a week’s vacation in Trabzon, but the hotel reservation turned out to be fake.
“Cyber fraudsters copy well-known online booking sites or hotels very precisely, setting a trap for tourists hoping for a discounted vacation,” Turkish experts write. They also imitate “call centers” on the phones listed on the website. Another option is to “sell” non-working hotels – for example, fraudsters accepted orders for a hotel in Adana that closed after a fire.
The matter is profitable – experts add. Fraudsters who copied one hotel in Didim last year made a profit of 300,000 lira in two weeks. And exposing them is not easy. Tourists have to be vigilant.