Holidaymakers are being warned to watch out for holiday scams, after a bank recorded a jump in total customer losses to such fraud in the second quarter of this year.Holiday-related scams were used to steal £42,773.62 between April and June, Santander UK said.This is an increase of around a third (32%) from the £32,513.09 the bank recorded stolen between January and March this year.The bank said common tactics include the sale of fake holiday packages; apartment and villa rental scams in the UK and abroad; and requests for deposits by criminals who then disappear.It said people should be cautious when browsing “limited time” or “one room remaining” deals and do extra checks, such as searching to see whether photos advertising a holiday exist elsewhere online.Santander also suggested people should verify the booking independently by contacting the hotel, airline or travel provider directly, using details from their official website, to confirm the booking or offer is genuine.Despite the increase in holiday scams, Santander’s “scamtracker” found the total amount stolen by scammers nearly halved from £24.6 million in the first quarter of this year to £13.35 million in the second quarter.There was a particularly big fall in the amounts stolen from customers aged 55-plus, the bank said.Chris Ainsley, head of fraud strategy at Santander UK said the bank’s figures overall “show real progress” but added: “We must not rest on our laurels – scammers are smart and will adapt their approach to continue targeting customers by whatever means possible.”