Scam warning

We have recently been made aware by a company called Heritage Touring of a credit card refund scam. Thousands of fake booking emails from a fake Heritage Touring email account have been sent to thousands of hotels, bed and breakfasts and booking websites across Britain.

Heritage Touring have issued the following statement:

"A warning for hotels, accommodation providers and group organisers. We have been besieged by a Dr Kevin Morris, who is fraudulently using our company name and address on an email to give it authenticity.

"We know it has been sent to well in excess of 120,000 businesses (figures reported from the surge of visits to our website in the last two months). He uses numerous different ways to clone the company email address asking to book a large amount of accommodation, insisting on paying by credit card and then will ask for a refund on the booking.

"We believe this to be money laundering and from businesses that have contacted us worldwide, this is not uncommon; however the lengths of deception using valid company names and addresses to hide his real identity makes it increasingly difficult to tell what is a genuine enquiry.

"Heritage Touring is a highly respected and well-established company offering special interest short breaks in the UK. Over the past twenty years we have built up exceptionally good personal relationships with the hotels we use and they would immediately know the email sent is not the way we conduct our business, but others may not be so fortunate.

"The police and internet providers have been informed but there is very little they can do. We have a clear warning on our website but we would urge everyone to be aware of this scam."