Holiday & House Buying Frauds - a nod to help you avoid being caught

Buying a House, booking a Holiday, then beware

House Buying Fraud - Scam

Our friends at Capricorn Financial would like to make you aware of a new form of online fraud that could target anyone purchasing a property. It's called 'misdirection fraud' and it is costing homebuyers £2.8 million in financial crime each year - a figure that's potentially set to grow.

In a nutshell, hackers will monitor emails between all parties in the mortgage process (client, solicitor and broker). When the hacker identifies a financial transaction is about to take place, they email the homebuyer, under the guise of either a solicitor, mortgage broker or financial institution and ask them to make their deposit into an alternative account - the fraudster's account. The unsuspecting buyer follows the instructions and the criminal collects the proceeds.

Capricorn Financial want to protect you from criminal activity by raising awareness of this growing issue. Solicitor firms are starting to make their clients aware of this risk and we'd encourage anyone in the process of buying a property to confirm bank details with their solicitor before making any transactions, especially where bank details are changed close to the completion date or details are received via email.


Anything like this we would like to just tip you the nod about.

Holiday Fraud - Scam

There are also many scams when booking holidays on line. There are many occasions when the holiday maker finds they don't have the holiday they thought. We always suggest, when possible, book direct with the operator. Use the operators main web site. They are the ones offering all the deals that are on offer in any case, so all you need to know is there on their sites. Book through our link and we get a referral, so there is no need for us to handle your money or hold on to it.
You have the safety of having booked direct.

P&O Main site, click here

Fred Olsen Site, click here

Saga Site, click here

Also, by booking with the company itself, you will be dealing direct with the company if something goes wrong. Use the link on our site and we score for the referral, so there is no need for a third party to handle your money.