Credit card fraudsters target Scottish hotels

By UK.CreditCards.com

A gang of fraudsters from the West Midlands have pocketed £20,000 by using stolen credit card and ID details.

The group, known as the Coventry Falcons, booked cheap flights to Scotland with the intention of targeting customers at some of the country's most distinguished hotels, the Daily Record reports.

Breaking into the rooms when they were unoccupied, the criminals took the relevant documents and subsequently used them to empty their victims' bank accounts.

Despite the sizeable sum being racked up in a one-month spree, a prominent member of the mob, Simon Close, has been caught and sentenced to seven months in jail.

As a result, a Proceedings of Crime action has now been lodged at Perth Sheriff Court in order to claim the £1,239 in Mr Close's possession at the time of his arrest.

"The [Coventry Falcons] steal cheque books, credit cards and ID documents," read one part of the action quoted by the newspaper.

"They then use the stolen items to commit fraud to obtain money and goods. Such frauds are often committed before the victim realises the items are missing."

Booking flights on credit cards 'is crucial'

By UK.CreditCards.com

Britons should always pay for flights with their credit cards because of the financial protection they can potentially offer, according to a leading consumer magazine.

The issue of financial compensation for cancelled bookings has come under sharp focus recently, with the imminent threat of British Airways strikes being narrowly averted and the collapse of Flyglobespan.

Scotland's leading low-cost carrier was plunged into administration last week, leaving more than 4,000 passengers and up to 800 staff stranded in foreign destinations.

Many travellers affected by the news will not be suitably compensated as insurance companies tend to avoid covering the demise of a tour operator.

However, those who made purchases with their credit cards could be in line for a refund under the terms of the Consumer Credit Act, as long as they spent between £100 and £30,000.

Rochelle Turner, from Which? Holiday magazine, admitted that this approach is now even more important at a time when an increasing number of carriers appear to be under threat.

"Always bear in mind the debit and credit card protection when paying for flights," she said in an interview with the Daily Mail.

Flyglobespan was founded in November 2002 and its main bases were Glasgow International Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Aberdeen Airport.

Sainsbury's predicts record credit card ATM use

By UK.CreditCards.com

Britons will withdraw a record amount of money from cash machines on their debit and credit cards in December, a new report suggested.

According to research by Sainsbury's Finance, ATMs will dispense £10.6 billion during December, representing a significant rise of £619 million from 12 months earlier.

The total figure equates to £341 million in withdrawals per day, £14.2 million per hour or £237,100 per minute and is the highest monthly volume for six years.

Alex Blake, head of ATMs at Sainsbury's Finance, said: "This party season, make sure you don't leave getting your cash to the last minute. Why not get your spending money while you're doing your shopping."

The credit card provider reached its conclusion after analysing trends between 2004 and 2009, finding that 12.4 per cent more cash is withdrawn in December than during a normal month.

Sainsbury's became the first major British supermarket to immerse itself in financial services when it opened a bank for trading in February 1997.

It is now believed to have over 1.5 million active customers with combined deposits worth more than £6 billion.