Holidaymakers waiting to book trips abroad will finally have answers today as the Government prepares to announce the countries on its green list at 5pm, but they will also want to make sure they are financially covered if things changed.
Whilst it is thought only a handful of foreign destinations will be on the low risk list, including Malta, Portugal and the Greek Islands, experts believe there is likely to be a surge in bookings thanks to pent-up demand.
Prices to popular resorts have already doubled in price, according to the Mail Online, with British Airways charging £530 for a flight from Heathrow to the Algarve, Portugal on May 17, compared to £234 for passengers flying the same route two days earlier.
Consumer champions lobby govt for tougher online protection
By Michael Klimes 7
th May 2021 9:33 am
Seventeen of the most influential consumer groups have called on the government to crack down on internet scams.
They urge the government to include online scams in its proposed Online Safety Bill in a joint letter to the Home Secretary and Digital Secretary.
The organisations want consumers to be better protected against the financial and emotional harm caused by these crimes.
Scams have escalated in the past 12 months as Action Fraud figures showed £1.7bn was reportedly lost to scams in the last year.
Many criminals have shifted their activity online as Action Fraud estimates that in the year to June 2020, 85% of all fraud was cyber-enabled.
Use Online Safety Bill to protect against scams, groups urge theiet.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theiet.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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“Yet platforms have very little legal responsibility for protecting their users, despite often being the best placed to tackle harmful content.”
Scams have escalated in the past 12 months, with Action Fraud figures suggesting that £1.7 billion was reportedly lost to them over the period.
Action Fraud estimates that, in the year to June 2020, 85% of all fraud was cyber-enabled.
But the coalition said the actual financial losses are likely to be much higher and do not capture the emotional impact on victims.
The letter read: “Across industry, regulators and consumer groups, there is now wide-ranging consensus on the urgent need for action to tackle scams and the critical role that online platforms must take in protecting users from the harm caused by fake and fraudulent content.
Bid to make Facebook and Amazon pay legal price for online scams as Scots fraud soars during lockdown
Bid to make Facebook and Amazon pay legal price for online scams as Scots fraud soars during lockdown A coalition of organisations is calling on ministers to bring in new laws to make online platforms such as Facebook and Amazon legally responsible for online scams - as it emerged cases of fraud in Scotland have soared during the pandemic. The Dunfermline-based Carnegie UK Trust is one of 17 organisations who are warning that a failure to make online platforms such as Facebook and Amazon directly responsible for any scam content on their site risks the UK failing in its ambition to be the safest place in the world to be online.