UK police make arrests over holiday Internet scams

LONDON, Aug 19 (Reuters) British police arrested a man and woman in London today as part of a wide-ranging investigation into holiday Web site fraud that has left nearly 3,000 people out of pocket.

The woman in her thirties, and the man in his sixties, were detained at separate addreses in London and are being questioned by fraud squad officers, the Metropolitan Police said.

The fake Web sites; sunmedresorts.com, unbeatableholidays.com, holidaydaysforunder200pounds.com, holidayrez.com and holidayez.com were all used in the con.

The fraud worked by enticing people to buy non-existent holidays and then disappearing with the cash.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has warned people to be careful about buying trips online. The organisation advises people to check its own Web site or that of other affiliated organisations like ATOL (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) to make sure any holiday firm is bona fide.

The Metropolitan Police, the Fraud Squad and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are all investigating the scam which is thought to have netted hundreds of thousands of pounds.

REUTERS SSC BST2112