PEOPLE hoping for a holiday bargain could be in for a nasty surprise if they fall foul of ticket fraud.

Dorset Police are warning people not to fall for fake internet sites set up deceive the public into buying fake flight tickets.

A spokesman for the police said: “New websites are continuously being created with slight changes to the company names with the intention to deceive the public.

“They offer tickets at bargain prices and usually request for payment via bank transfer. These tickets do not materialize and the funds are retained by the fraudsters.”

People can protect themselves by buying from well-known company names. If you have never heard of a company, conduct some research online by typing the name of the company you are buying from into a search and look for reviews.

People should use companies that are ATOL or ABTA Registered and should never send money to bank accounts.