Travellers warned over foreign sites

British holidaymakers have been warned that booking flights via websites that are based overseas may be unsafe.

Commenting on an article in the Times suggesting that travellers may benefit from booking through US flight sites, Sean Tipton of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said that doing so could make matters difficult should an instance of credit card fraud arise.

He added that it is not "100 per cent safe" as travellers may not be fully aware of exactly who it is they are dealing with.

"If you use your debit card and money is taken out fraudulently [the card provider] will re-credit that, but it will take time to get the money back and if you pay for an airline ticket and it never materialises … you've lost your money," Mr Tipton commented.

ABTA is a trade organisation that represents the interests of thousands of companies across the British Isles.

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