Cornish resort reveals it lost thousands in a scam run by an Instagram site that claimed to offer half-price holiday deals
- Landal Gwel an Mor resort said the scam was run by a site called everything_half
- This site, it says, used stolen credit cards to make bookings
- Firms listed on everything_half also included Hoseasons and Unique Homestays
A Cornish holiday resort has told of its frustration at being targeted by an Instagram booking scam that resulted in £7,500 in lost revenue.
Landal Gwel an Mor, a resort comprising luxury lodges near Redruth, revealed that the scam was run by a site called everything_half, listed as a ‘UK independent travel broker offering luxury getaways at affordable prices’.
The fraudsters, it says, booked customers into its lodges, telling them that they would pay half the going rate, and only once they were happy with their accommodation. Everything_half then paid the price in full online to Landal Gwel an Mor – but using stolen credit cards.
Landal Gwel an Mor, a resort comprising luxury lodges near Redruth, revealed that it was scammed by an Instagram site – everything_half. The site has now been taken down
The owners of the stolen cards then complained that they were being billed for a holiday they never took and retrieved their money.
The holidaymakers, meanwhile, paid their money to everything_half. So Landal Gwel an Mor was left without a penny.
The resort told MailOnline Travel that it only became aware of the scam when it was contacted by its credit card merchant provider about a fraudulent transaction.
It said: ‘On investigating the booking in detail, the telephone numbers associated with the booking were dead, but we eventually got hold of the guest who had stayed and he informed us he had booked the holiday via the everything-half Instagram site.’
Landal Gwel an Mor said other companies listed on the site included Hoseasons, Parkdean Resorts, Haven, Heart of the Lakes and Unique Homestays – and that it used polished publicity shots, so it looked legitimate.
Companies listed on everything_half included Hoseasons, Parkdean Resorts, Haven, Heart of the Lakes and Unique Homestays
Landal Gwel an Mor, pictured, only became aware of the scam when it was contacted by its credit card merchant provider about a fraudulent transaction
Matt Way, Resort Director of Landal Gwel an Mor, said: ‘As soon as we became aware of this scam, we took measures to protect our customers and the business, making it our mission to warn the other holiday businesses listed on this site too, all well-established names in travel, spanning the country. We’ve resolved the issue at our resort now.
‘This type of scam, at this time, was another blow to our industry – we are all trying to recover from being closed so losing revenue this way has a big impact on the businesses involved.’
Landal Gwel an Mor reported the scam to the police, Action Fraud and Instagram, which has now taken the site down.
Matt Way, Resort Director of Landal Gwel an Mor, said: ‘This type of scam, at this time, was another blow to our industry’