Travel question: How can I know whether to trust a holiday firm online?

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Villa fraud costs travellers millions of pounds every year (Getty/iStock)

Q I want to book a holiday villa through a website which looks legitimate but for which I can’t find any reviews, nor any Twitter or Facebook activity. Do I hand over my hard-earned cash?

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A Villa fraud costs travellers millions of pounds every year. The standard model is that an attractive website is set up with masses of availability at low prices. People book in good faith, but then discover that they have lost all their money – often only at the point when they arrive at the property.