UK holidaymakers have spoken of a scam involving them being offered laptops and iPads by shop owners on the Spanish island of Tenerife at bargain prices before they were distracted.
British tourists claim they have been scammed out of thousands of pounds in a lengthy holiday scam.
Visitors to Tenerife are said to be being targeted on the last day of their holiday with hot tech deals that look great.
They were offered cheap laptops and iPads by shop owners on the Spanish islands, whom they distracted them when the purchase was in progress, it was claimed.
When tourists are looking the other way, the shop owner will either copy their card or offer a higher fee than the deal, Online report letter.
Bridget Manning, 84, claims she was the victim of a scam and was secretly charged more than £2,000 for a tablet labeled as £150 while Andy Evans, 64, from Doncaster, was allegedly lost £1,676 last year when he tried to buy a £14.50 upgrade for his equipment.
He told the Mail that his bank had not refunded him a year later and that he was “haunted” by the ordeal, including the fact that criminals were “still evading it”. “.
Andy was buying souvenirs for his grandchildren in Los Cristianos when the owner of the store struck up a conversation with the British couple, mentioning the tablets he was selling.
Andy paid 50 euros in cash before another employee approached him who suggested he upgrade his tablet with a software package that would allow him to watch UK television while abroad.
“It’s only €14.50 per month and I can cancel it at any time so I don’t think about it,” Andy said.
He was told that the store was experiencing internet problems when he entered his PIN, prompting the shopkeeper to take the machine away for a while.
Andy believes it was at this point that the card was cloned.
Two salesmen drove him to another store they owned, where he successfully paid.
When Andy returned to the UK, he found that a payment of £1,678.76 was pending, prompting him to urgently call his bank.
“I was told by the bank, after many conversations, that they could not stop the payment because I was present at the time of the transaction and that would be contrary to word,” he said.
Andy believes shop owners have scoured the bar for unsuspecting victims on the last day of the holiday.
Travelers may find themselves more susceptible to scams due to a less familiar environment at their holiday destination, language barriers and the potential stress of flying abroad.
Last week Chartered Institute of Trade Standards (CTSI) warns that scammers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to trick tourists.
CTSI warns that scammers are taking advantage of concerns about delayed passport issuance, in part due to a five-day strike by UK Passport Office staff.
Last year, some travelers missed their trips because they were waiting for their passports to arrive, prompting some to seek ways to speed up the process.
CTSI has warned that scammers are also offering fake “quick make” passports.
The organization said it had seen a number of messages and emails asking for a quick passport renewal, warning that victims could lose their personal data and money to scammers.
CTSI director Katherine Hart said: “A lot of people are preparing to go away at the moment and unfortunately, there are a lot of social media ads promoting homes and hotels at home and abroad with images. amazing and great price.
“These bogus ads are designed to steal our money, leave us frustrated and not vacation. As with any purchase, do your research, shop only with reputable companies and make sure you are 100% sure of who you are dealing with and what you will get. before spending any money.”
