British tourists facing problems with hotel or flight bookings via Lastminute.com are being targeted by scammers pretending to be from the firm, MailOnline can reveal.
Some holidaymakers have reported arriving at accommodation abroad only for staff to say they cannot find a reservation, leaving them with no choice but to pay again.
While the guests would otherwise be stranded, the hotels appear to be unaware that any booking has been made and have not been given any of the money either.
Other frustrated customers have had issues with flight cancellations or check-in, then complained to Lastminute.coms customer services team on X/Twitter.
But the firm does not provide support on X, and scammers are instead jumping on the posts by getting in touch with people and pretending to be from the company.
In response, Lastminute.com told MailOnline it was aware of scams by malicious third parties and works with social media platforms to get fake accounts blocked.
Some travellers have reported how the criminals convincingly offer an apology and a refund plus compensation, but then attempt to steal money by getting bank details.
People in need of a quick response are being targeted by the accounts pretending to be from Lastminute.com which often have convincing logos and X handles.
A series of fake accounts exist such as Ask LastMinute.Com @AskIastMinute, Lastminute.Com @Lastminute_Hub and last-minute.com @Lastmnut6_C0m - all of which feature the official logo of Lastminute.com and attempt to contact customers.
UK tourists facing problems with Lastminute.com bookings are being targeted by scammers
Another called Tyler Last minute Executive office @LastminuteTyr uses a real photo of Brian Phillips, the Texas Public Policy Foundations chief communications officer.
ANALYSIS: Dont reply to unsolicited emails, texts or telephone calls even if they look genuine
By NICKY KELVIN
Were hearing about an increased number of sophisticated scams which are impacting hotel and flights for UK travellers.
For anyone concerned about making a booking, I would advise that they only book directly through an authorised website or via a reputable travel agent.
Additionally, make sure to pay on a credit card - this ensures users are always protected with their purchases. Reputable companies do not ask for money transfers and should accept all major credit cards.
It is important to remember not to reply to unsolicited emails, texts or telephone calls even if they look genuine.
More and more we are finding that fraudsters are using sophisticated methods to prey on people, so always be vigilant.
If you receive an unsolicited telephone call from an individual purporting to be from a booking company, terminate the call immediately and contact the company directly, going through the required security processes which companies have in place to limit fraudulent scams.
If youre concerned about a potential fraudulent booking or scam, I would advise that you contact your bank immediately and make them aware.
They will be able to protect your account and prevent further fraudulent activity.
NICKY KELVIN is editor at The Points Guy. For more of his tips, click here
One Lastminute.com customer Jo Rust, from Kings Lynn, Norfolk, was targeted by scammers when she had a problem checking-in for a flight to Turkey last month.
She tweeted on September 3: @flymepegasus Im trying to book in online to a flight which leaves Stansted at 07.10 on Friday morning. Neither the link Im using from @lastminute_com nor your own website are working. Please help. Flying to SAW Istanbul.
Ms Rust then got a reply from the @Lastminute_Hub account which said: Hi there @Springwoodcoun1!! We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused on our side. Kindly clarify the challenge here and share your reachable WhatsApp phone number for quick assistance on our side.
But Ms Rust, who is a local councillor for the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, added: Ive had a number of calls and each one feels more and more like a scam.
The last operative wanted me to fill in a form from Remitly claiming theyd refund and rebook my flight. Wholly unnecessary when they should be able to book me in themselves. Im left with no trust or confidence.
Another customer, Lainey Wales, tweeted @lastminute_com – the companys official handle – to say: We bought a flight and hotel package for you. You confirmed our booking, took our money and confirmed a hotel reference.
The hotel told us you did not pay them, so at 9pm in another country, we had to pay the hotel again, so that we could stay. What a disgrace.
She then had three replies – one from @Lastminute_Hub saying: Hi there @LaineyWales25!! We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused on our side. Kindly clarify the challenge here and share your reachable WhatsApp phone number for quick assistance on our side.
A second from @AskIastMinute said: Hello there, we are very sorry for the terrible experience, kindly follow back and DM us reachable phone number we advice on the issue.We hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.
And a third from @Lastmnut6_C0m said: Hi, apologies for the inconvenience caused. Kindly follow us back and DM your reachable phone number for assistance.
Susan Pym, who lives in London, was also targeted by the scammers last month.
She wrote on September 6: Hi @wizzair and @lastminute_com. If someone is due a refund of £478.15 why would you then refund them just £137.56? Can you explain please as this has already been a very protracted process. Asking for a non X/twitter user.
A response from @LastminuteTyr said: Thanks for the prompt response,we do apologise for any inconveniences caused. I have already escalated on the case and informed the relevant department whom will contact you immediately. Kindly provide your reachable phone number ASAP.
Fake Lastminute.com accounts to watch out for on social media
Here are four fake Lastminute.com accounts on X found by MailOnline:
A further British tourist who travelled to Marrakech last month told MailOnline she arrived at night and went straight to the hotel she had booked through Lastminute.com.
She added: When I handed over my booking reference and passport the staff just looked utterly baffled and told me they had no record of the stay I had already paid for.
They spent a considerable amount of time searching their bookings system, a manager was called in but still they could find no evidence of my reservation.
My only option was to book and pay for a room directly with them – luckily they had availability – but this was at a significantly higher rate than the deal offered by Lastminute.com.
The woman paid £78 for a one-night stay instead of the £47-a-night that her five-night booked stay worked out to.
She continued: Next I tried my very best to get in touch with Lastminute.com but it proved to be an impossible task.
The automated help chatbot did not recognise my booking code and kept sending me back to the beginning, the telephone numbers – which are very well hidden - rang out and dropped.
Frustrated, I reached out to the company on every available platform including X and any emails I found.
The next morning she was hopeful that her booking would have come through to the hotel – but that did not happen. The hotel also had no way of contacting the operator, but said they had received bookings through them in the past.
The woman continued: I decided to cut my losses for the time being and book another hotel, using another travel company, and continue to pursue a refund from lastminute.com.
She then explained how she fell victim to scammers who have cottoned onto the issue on X.
If someone tweets their anger to Lastminute.com, the scammers then jump on it, get in contact and try to offer an apology and a refund plus compensation for the inconvenience.
The woman said: I was eating lunch when a message came through from what looked like a Lastminute.com account on X asking for my number so they could resolve my complaint.
The signs were there that it was not legit, but I was harassed, mid-meal and trying to salvage my holiday, so I gave my number over and promptly received a call that flashed up with the words CALL CENTRE on my phone screen.
A polite man asked me for details of what had happened and then offered profuse apologies, and said he could start processing my refund immediately.
He wanted to do this through the Remitly app, and the woman said he was utterly charming and convincing and really acted like a seasoned customer service operator.
However as they started going through the steps to process her refund, she became suspicious and asked some questions to test him.
She said: He insisted he was calling from the UK but it was beyond him to actually name a city. He grew angry with me demanding I push the button on the refund transfer.
I refused and hung up with a few choice words and was left feeling really shaken and very stupid. Then I saw that the call had come from Kenya.
She rang her banks fraud department immediately and they confirmed someone had attempted to access her account and take several hundred pounds, but luckily I hadnt given them enough information.
The woman continued: Finally I got through to Lastminute.com on the phone, after many attempts at trying to guess the correct combination of automated options to pick - which took a couple of hours.
I reached a man named Ahmed who worked for the company out of his home in Albania. He confirmed that I had made a booking and paid and just could not explain why the hotel didnt know about it.
She said he provided her email address to start trying to get a refund. Six weeks later, she had still been waiting for this.
However, hours after MailOnline contacted Lastminute.com for comment, the refund was issued and she was also given £50 compensation while being assured this was an isolated incident at the hotel was at fault.
The woman continued: In short – Lastminute.com left me, a lone female traveller, in an unfamiliar foreign city at night without a place to stay.
Actually getting through to human being to register the problem is a Herculean task that that takes hours and would test the patience of a saint.
And to top it all it left me exposed to scammers who were so incredibly well versed in how to exploit the customers left stressed anxious and exposed by their treatment.
Its a totally unacceptable way to treat customers, they dont seem to care what happens to you after the money has been taken. Phone lines are geared only toward people who want to make a new booking, little help if offered to anyone with an issue that concerns an existing booking.
I spent the first 24 hours of my holiday in limbo not knowing if my booking would come through and be honoured, if I would get a refund and battling to be heard. Latminute.com showed absolutely no regard to their duty of care. It is an appalling way to treat people and I would never use them again.
Jo Rhodes, travel expert at consumer group Which?, told MailOnline: Booking sites can be a great tool for searching for accommodation options, but we increasingly find that they can fall down on customer service.
Its unacceptable - but sadly unsurprising - that a hotel not having a record of a booking should take weeks for Lastminute.com to resolve.
We hear repeated complaints from travellers who have been passed from pillar to post when theyve encountered a problem with their booking site, and in our most recent survey, Lastminute.com scored poorly with customers.
She said that booking directly with a hotel means you know exactly where the responsibility lies if something goes wrong, adding: Even better, it can be cheaper than using a third party site - and you can sometimes benefit from perks like free upgrades or parking.
Ms Rhodes also pointed out that those making a booking over the value of £100 can use a credit card for extra protection – given that under Section 75, the card company is jointly liable if anything goes wrong.
She continued: Travellers should also be cautious of scammers when engaging with travel companies on social media. Scam accounts are rife, and will often target people when theyre vulnerable, for example when trying to get a resolution to an urgent complaint.
If you receive a message on social media purporting to be from your travel company, always check carefully to make sure its from their official account. If you are in any doubt at all, contact the firm directly using the details on their website.
If you or a loved one do fall victim to a scam then contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud.
Travel expert Nicky Kelvin, editor-at-large at The Points Guy, said there was an increased number of sophisticated scams which are impacting hotel and flights for UK travellers.
He added that anyone concerned about making a booking should only book directly through an authorised website or via a reputable travel agent.
Mr Kelvin continued: Additionally, make sure to pay on a credit card - this ensures users are always protected with their purchases. Reputable companies do not ask for money transfers and should accept all major credit cards.
It is important to remember not to reply to unsolicited emails, texts or telephone calls even if they look genuine. More and more we are finding that fraudsters are using sophisticated methods to prey on people, so always be vigilant.
If you receive an unsolicited telephone call from an individual purporting to be from a booking company, terminate the call immediately and contact the company directly, going through the required security processes which companies have in place to limit fraudulent scams.
He added that anyone concerned about a potential fraudulent booking or scam should contact their bank immediately and make them aware, so they can protect the account and prevent further fraud.
A spokesperson for Lastminute.com told MailOnline: We know that scammers impersonate brands everyday using social media platforms. Its unfortunately an issue that affects all companies with a social media presence.
We are aware of scams by malicious third parties and the impact it can have on our customers. Whenever we discover fake accounts we work with the social media platforms to report them and get them blocked.
Lastminute.com was founded by Oxford graduates Martha Lane Fox and Brent Hoberman in 1998
Protecting our customers is our top priority, for this reason we have put multiple warnings on our social media accounts about scammers.
We urge customers to contact us through legitimate channels, like our My Help area on the website or via our app. We also urge customers to be cautious when giving personal information.
The companys official account also tweeted on September 6: Please beware of fraudulent accounts. For any lastminute.com customer support queries, contact us via our help page.
We do not provide customer support on Twitter and will never ask you to share personal data on Twitter.
In February 2021, Lastminute.com paid out refunds to thousands of customers whose holidays were cancelled because of Covid-19 two weeks after it was threatened with court action by the competition watchdog.
Lastminute.com had in November 2020 promised the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to refund customers by the end of January 2021 at the latest.
But by mid-February around 2,600 customers were still owed money by the company - prompting warnings of legal action from the CMA.
Lastminute.com was founded by Oxford graduates Martha Lane Fox and Brent Hoberman in 1998 as a website selling unsold flights, hotels and theatre tickets.
Have you been targeted by the scammers? Please email: tips@dailymail.com