'Man on holiday said he was my friend and gave me a gift' - then he turned nasty

'Man on holiday said he was my friend and gave me a gift' - then he turned nasty Tourist said that he was given a bracelet before the person turned on him A BBC expert has explained how a growing worrying tactic used by holiday scammers where they give people a gift - then demand payment. In the scam former cop Rav Wilding told BBC Morning Live they might claim they want to be a ‘friend’ and give them something small like a wrist band - and then turn nasty. Mr Wilding said people can be left traumatised by the scam. He explained: “They are sadly on the rise and there’s a there’s a range of these different scams and techniques out there that criminals are using to get people’s money. And listen, I just want to say if someone’s got a holiday, they might have been saving all year for this. They might have been saving for several years for this holiday. And I don’t want anything to ruin that for anyone that gets to go away at all. "So, it’s good to be just on the lookout for various things they’re doing. Some of the techniques are quite old school actually. And we’ve seen a number of reports. You might see it on social media where people have gone abroad and someone’s almost befriended them. says, ‘Oh, you’re my friend. I want to give you a gift. Here, have this from me, from me.’ “And they put something on them or give them something. Which then turns into a bit of a trick where the scammer or the person involved is actually trying to get money out of them.” In a clip which was played on the show, a tourist was shown being targeted. In the clip the person targeting the holidaymaker gets given a gift - and once they have taken they are asked for ‘something for my family in Africa’. The tourist says: “You just said don’t worry about it. Something. You just said don’t worry about it, bro.” The man is insistent repeating ‘Yes something’. Mr Wilding said that happened in Italy. He added: “We can see how the man’s attitude changes really quickly. What happened there, actually gave this man the bracelet, said, ‘You got to be my good friend here.’ And as soon as it it was on, you could see there from the clip he’s actually asking for money saying no you got to give me money I need it money I need money for my family in Africa on this occasion and it had changed and the person there was asked to give them money which they didn’t and on that occasion he was able to give the bracelet back and go away. “I know several people that have had much more frightening situations where it’s turned nasty and aggressive and intimidating where this so-called free gift has changed and people say no you need to give me money if someone’s offering you something for free would you think maybe. Also there’s an other aspect other than just gifts - pictures. Rav said: “Well, it can be even more subtle than that. It can be I’ve been on holiday myself where people have come up and asked for a photo opportunity, for example, and if you were to take them up on that offer, then the demand for cash comes straight away and it can be quite aggressive. So, just be on the lookout for something like that.“ A third (34%) of holidaymakers have seen an increase in potential travel scams on social media over the past year, a survey indicates. Seven in 10 (70%) people said they are wary of promotional emails related to holidays due to concerns about potential scams. And half (50%) prefer to book holidays with online or high street travel businesses if they clearly explain how they are protecting consumers from fraud. Two-fifths (40%) of holidaymakers said that they change their behaviour while on holiday due to financial safety concerns, according to the research commissioned by payment service provider emerchantpay. George Ralchev, head of risk at emerchantpay, said holidaymakers are being targeted by social media scammers “looking to take advantage of the peak travel season”. Opinium carried out the survey in May among 2,000 people across the UK. Holiday scams may include criminals advertising fake holiday accommodation or flights, for example. People may also be offered tours while they are on holiday that do not exist. Scammers may copy photos from legitimate websites and may also ask for bank transfers. To help avoid scams, people could do research to check that a destination actually exists, look for independent reviews and check website links. Holidaymakers may also want to consider checking whether the company involved is a member of Abta, a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. People booking package deals with a flight could also check coverage under the Atol financial protection scheme. Lisa Webb, a consumer law expert at Which?, said: “There are ways to help you spot fake holiday listings – such as using a reverse image search to check for stolen images or checking the property’s location on an online map to see that it exists. “Always book through official, trusted channels and avoid paying by bank transfer for anything advertised on social media. “If you think you have lost money to a holiday booking scam, contact your bank immediately and report it to Report Fraud or Police Scotland.”