'We booked a £99 stargazing break - all we got was an empty field'

Ryan Swain and Samantha Cook were looking forward to a break under the stars together

When Samantha Cook booked a surprise break for herself and her fiancé, she was looking forward to a night of escapism from her "relentless" work schedule.

Scrolling through local glamping sites, an eye-catching £99 "stargazing dome" deal offered a futuristic pod with a transparent canopy and breathtaking views of twinkling North Yorkshire skies.

The events manager and mother-of-one promptly received booking confirmation messages from a firm called Star Domes, along with a key code and an address in the small village of Knayton.

All set for their unusual getaway, Samantha arranged childcare and set off from nearby Malton with partner Ryan Swain.

The scam website stole pictures from an award-winning Airbnb in Agnes, Australia

Nearing their destination, the excited couple were unable to find the dome and Samantha pulled up to a pub to ask for directions to what she assumed would be a local landmark.

Instead, the people in the pub apologised and told her she had been scammed.

"I was devastated, I burst out crying because I had Ryan in the car," the 39-year-old said.

"It was our last weekend until New Year that we had a full weekend together without work, so it was a bit gutting."

Samantha, who is pregnant, and Ryan are victims of a scam website which has left dozens of people looking at an empty farmer's field instead of views of the heavens.

"Sam was mortified, in tears and heartbroken," Ryan, 34, said.

"The website, looking back on it, looked really authentic and legitimate.

"Everything was in place and then obviously when you put the postcode in, it takes you somewhere."

Farmer Julian Potter is used to mystified holidaymakers turning up to one of his fields after encountering about 30 in the past six months.

"The effect on me is negligible but these poor people have come up here," he said.

Julian Potter said he had been turning scam victims away from his farm nearly every week

"We had a couple who were coming here for their first wedding anniversary, you could see the excitement in their eyes."

He continued: "Young families with kids, they have no idea until they get here that they’ve lost their money and they’re not going to go on holiday - it’s absolutely heartbreaking."

Mr Potter said a nearby caravan park and the local pub had also had to break the bad news to dozens of disappointed visitors.

He said the websites advertising the domes often had minor spelling mistakes and only seemed to operate for a few days before disappearing and reappearing with a different name.

"The police just can’t keep up with putting them down," he added.

The photos of the stargazing domes, or bubble tents as they are actually known, were snatched from a popular Airbnb destination in Australia.

BBC News reached out to the genuine holiday rental company to inform them of the scam, who said they had reported the "frustrating and unfair" issue and had no connection to the problems in the UK.

'I felt stupid'

Janice Kirby is another victim of the scam.

The 55-year-old from County Durham spotted the deal on social media and booked it immediately.

"I thought this would be a nice change because it was very luxurious and looked gorgeous," Janice said.

"I didn’t think any more of it and then a couple of days later, I realised I didn’t have any confirmation email."

Janice Kirby saw the website advertised on Facebook and booked a one night stay

Purely by chance, Janice stumbled across a post on Facebook from Mr Potter's farm, warning people about the scam.

"I’d have been turning up at the weekend if I hadn't seen it," Janice said.

"I felt stupid. I always thought I would never fall for anything like that.

"It’s right what they say, if it looks too good to be true then it probably is."

Looking back, Janice said there had been signs the website was not legitimate.

"There was an 11:00 check-in and a 14:00 check-out the next day. Normally it’s the other way around," she said.

"I was over the moon but thinking logically, that would never happen."

Janice's bank agreed to give her a full refund after two payments were taken out of her account.

Samantha and Ryan's bank also returned their cash.

The BBC tried to contact the people behind the star dome breaks but has yet to receive a reply.

Which? consumer expert Rob Lilley-Jones said such scams were happening with "increasing frequency", with those behind the cons using new technology.

"When big sums of money are involved it is no surprise people out there are going to try and make a quick buck," he said.

Mr Lilley-Jones added it was "really hard to police scams like this", claiming "thousands" were happening each day.

He said anyone who had been defrauded should contact their bank before reporting it to the police and Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud.

The scam website promises a night in a "luxury stargazing dome" for £99 with stolen pictures and bogus reviews

North Yorkshire Police confirmed it had received a report of the scam from the owner of a nearby caravan and glamping site, which it had referred to Action Fraud.

A force spokesperson said anyone who had been affected should report the scam.

They added that people should double check the address, look for contact information and read the terms and conditions when booking something and handing over money.

Trust mark labels and online reviews should also be verified from a number of sources, the spokesperson said.

'It affects everything'

Samantha and Ryan said the website had faked Trustpilot-style reviews plus a booking calendar and other traditional signs of authenticity.

They told the BBC they were now less trusting of others.

"You become a victim and you question your everyday life," Ryan said.

"I had people doing things out of the goodness of their heart and I was asking if there were ulterior motives.

"It affects everything, it’s not just financial. It affects your mental health, it affects your trust and it affects your outlook on life."

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