Holiday scam warning ‘should have come sooner’

A LOCAL lady who fell victim to a holiday home scam has welcomed new warnings from police.

Berni Campbell, who lives in Strabane but works in Omagh, had previously urged people to be super-vigilant when it comes to making bookings ahead of the holiday season.

Back in March, Berni believed she was renting a stunning house in Bunbeg in Donegal for two weeks in the summer and to that end, handed over a £200 deposit – only to later discover the whole thing was a scam. The house she had paid for didn’t exist in Bunbeg and the house in the photos of the advert was one in Rossnowlagh – and it had nothing to do with the shyster selling fictional rentals.

However despite reporting the crime to the relevant authorities at the time, a warning was only issued by the PSNI on Friday.

Berni believes that more than 30 people have been conned in the same way so far.

“Back when it happened, I had asked police to issue a statement but they didn’t,” Berni confirmed.

“We thought maybe even if they put something on their Facebook page it might make a difference but no.”

Berni says the difference now is that the scam was recently reported in Portrush.

She continued, “They (police) have reported that there have been 20 (scams) since May but I reported this in April and I wasn’t the first.

“It’s just a shame that they didn’t do this sooner. It has highlighted the scam more since the police have issued their warning but if they had done it before that, they could have saved a lot more people from being caught out.”

The warning from police on Friday came from Superintendent Gerard Pollock.

“What can appear as a bargain holiday on a social media platform or an online advert, is all too often the start of a scam, which will cost you hundreds of pounds and leave you without that getaway,” he said.

“It might sound obvious, but take some time to do your research on the company, or person you are booking with. Don’t rely on just one website or review. If it’s a fake there’s a good chance others will write about their experience and some basic internet research will find it.”

He added, “If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

If you have been a victim
of a scam, report it to police on 101, to your bank immediately, online at www.actionfraud.police.uk
or call 0300 123 2040.