Scammers target grandma's family holiday booking

Tracy Canham fell victim to a Facebook scam after thinking she had booked a holiday in Lincolnshire

A grandmother was scammed out of hundreds of pounds after booking what she thought was a family holiday in Lincolnshire through Facebook.

Tracy Canham, 60, from Coalville, Leicestershire, said she had paid £565 for a lodge at Tattershall Lakes Country Park, before she realised the profile sending messages to her was fake.

She told the BBC the profile had looked "authentic" and had exchanged several messages on the social media platform.

A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook, said it was "continually investing in protections against fraud".

Ms Canham said she had booked the trip for her two granddaughters and it would have been her first holiday since she finished treatment for a serious illness.

She said: "I was angry more than anything. I’d already told the grandchildren that we were going and they were really excited.

"The scammers are just awful. It’s not just the fact they take your money, it’s the impact they have. It’s disgusting really."

Ms Canham reported the incident to her bank and was eventually given a refund.

Laura Miller, the group head of marketing at Away Resorts, which owns Tattershall Lakes, said they had been contacted by people who had been scammed this year.

She said: “It’s hugely frustrating for us. We’re an honest business, trying to make happy holiday memories and it’s awful for the people who have been scammed.”

'Too good to be true'

Action Fraud, the national centre for fraud and cybercrime, said people lost £12.3m to holiday fraud in 2023, with 6,640 cases reported to them.

Claire Webb, director of Action Fraud, said: "When booking caravan holidays online, only use official or well-known holiday booking websites.

"If someone on a social media platform offers you a cheaper deal, or a price too good to be true, this could be a fraudster intent on stealing from you."

A spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta said: "We don’t allow fraudulent activity on our platforms and we remove this content as soon as we become aware of it.

"We are for people who use our platforms and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.