This is general consumer guidance, not financial advice. Holidaymakers hunting for a summer getaway are being warned to be on their guard against a fast-growing con: fake holiday accommodation advertised on social media. The consumer group Which? has reported a sharp rise in bogus listings, as covered by the Guardian.

How the scam works

The mechanics are simple but effective. Fraudsters lift photographs and descriptions from genuine rental listings, or hijack real businesses' identities, and post convincing adverts on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The prices are tempting — often suspiciously cheap for peak season — and victims are pressed to pay quickly, usually by bank transfer, to "secure" the booking. The con frequently comes to light only when the holidaymaker arrives to find the property does not exist, is not available, or was never the seller's to let. Because bank transfers offer little protection, the money is often gone for good.

The scale

Fraud of this kind has been climbing. Industry figures from UK Finance, which represents Britain's banks, point to a steep rise in so-called advance-fee fraud — where victims pay upfront for goods or services that never materialize, a category that includes holiday-rental scams. Watchdogs say the problem has worsened markedly over the past couple of years, and tends to spike around school holidays and the summer travel rush, when demand for last-minute deals is highest.

How to protect yourself

A few habits sharply cut the risk:

  • Book through reputable platforms. Established booking sites verify listings and offer dispute resolution; deals that exist only on a social-media post deserve extra suspicion.
  • Pay by card, not bank transfer. Credit and debit cards typically come with fraud protections and the possibility of a chargeback; bank transfers and methods like wire services or gift cards are hard or impossible to reverse.
  • Verify the property. Check the address on a mapping service, run a reverse image search on the photos to see if they appear elsewhere, and read recent reviews. Beware listings with few photos, only glowing feedback, or prices that look too good to be true.
  • Never pay off-platform. If a host pushes you to pay outside a booking site or to move the conversation to a private channel, treat it as a red flag.
  • Don't be rushed. Pressure to pay immediately, before you can check, is a hallmark of the scam.

The bottom line

The advice from consumer groups boils down to a simple principle: slow down and verify before you pay. A genuine holiday let will stand up to a few basic checks; a fraudulent one usually will not. If a deal seems too good to be true, especially one found only on social media, it very often is.