A family is reported to have been conned out of £4,000 by internet fraudsters after booking a Spanish villa online.
Peter McConnell, a 59-year-old accountant from Hastings, thought he had paid for a week’s stay in a property in Mojacar, Southern Spain, which he found on the Owners Direct website.
But when he came to confirm his arrival time with the owner, he discovered the payment had not been received.
Investigators from the website found that the villa owner’s email had been hacked after a so-called ‘phishing’ attack with the money sent to the identity thieves instead, reports the Mail on Sunday.
McConnell said: "We had received confirmation of the booking so it came as a complete shock when the villa owner said he had never heard of us."
An Owners Direct spokesman said: ‘We are very sorry that Peter McConnell has been the victim of a security breach of an advertiser’s email account.
‘We are working with him to resolve this issue.
‘It is important to stress that did not occur on the Owners Direct website."
