When it comes to a holiday, it should be a fun process. The thought of picking a destination to go, the things you are going to do and where you are going to eat is all part of the excitement.

However, holidaymakers have been warned as 12.3 million was lost to fraud last year in the UK.

While Brits love a bargain, especially for breaks away, pursuing deals can sometimes lead to falling victim to scams. Experts have now highlighted crucial red flags to look out for when booking a holiday online.

This is according to PayFasto who have analysed Google search trends across every UK city (scaled per 100,000 of the population) to identify which areas are most actively seeking holiday deals and are at the highest risk of holiday scams.

Among the keywords considered were “travel packages”, “holiday deals”, “cheap last-minute holidays”, and “cheap airline tickets”.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 UK cities, according to PayFasto.

1. Durham

Average monthly Google searches – 7,050

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 14,754

2. Bolton

Average monthly Google searches – 9,730

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 6,885

3. Warwick

Average monthly Google searches – 2,350

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 6,306

4. Croydon

Average monthly Google searches – 9,700

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 5,597

5. Newcastle upon Tyne

Average monthly Google searches – 15,757

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 5,250

6. Manchester

Average monthly Google searches – 27,637

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 4,715

7. Birmingham

Average monthly Google searches – 53,573

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 4,679

8. Plymouth

Average monthly Google searches – 12,017

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 4,618

9. Wakefield

Average monthly Google searches – 5,033

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 4,586

10. Stockport

Average monthly Google searches – 6,323

Average monthly Google searches (per 100k population) – 4,547

The UK city deemed most likely to be at risk of a scam is Durham with 14,754 average Google searches for holiday deals per month. This is more than double the searches made by the runner-up city of Bolton, with an average of 6,885 per month.

The number of people being conned into paying for fake flights and accommodation is high. In 2023, Action Fraud received 6,640 reports of holiday fraud, largely due to more people seeking a cheap holiday deal due to the cost-of-living crisis.

As well as revealing which cities are searching for a travel deal, the study also analysed Trustpilot reviews of travel providers to identify which have received the highest percentage of scam-related comments among users.

Top of the list is Airbnb with 8.5 percent of reviews referencing scam keywords. Second on the list is Trivago with 7.5 percent and third Hotels.com with 6.5 percent of reviews customers had mentioned keywords relating to scams.