Hidden camera footage shows compensation tout urging people to make fake holiday illness claims
Today we have evidence that a new type of tout could be waiting at your summer holiday destination.
They are encouraging compensation claims for holiday sickness, but there are warnings that some are using tactics that could land you in big trouble.
We have outrageous hidden camera footage showing a compensation tout at work in Benidorm.
Investigators working for the package tour operator Jet2holidays filmed him explaining how to make a bogus claim.
It could have earned holidaymakers £3,000 each - and he would have got a substantial commission.
There has been a dramatic rise in holiday illness claims - a 1,000% rise according to one tour operator.
The reason is that domestic cases now have a cap on what can be claimed, but this doesn't apply overseas.
Unscrupulous tactics that were once deployed in fraudulent whiplash claims in the UK have now migrated to this new scam in holiday resorts.
The Foreign Office has warned travellers not to make false claims, but our research reveals reports of suspect touts in popular summer resorts.
Hoteliers in Benidorm, Valencia and Costa Blanca say illness claims are now costing them 60 million euros a year; In Majorca hoteliers have told us of a 700% rise in these claims; On Cyprus we've learned that hoteliers are in talks with the British high Commission on this issue.
In Tenerife hotels told us there has been "harassment of tourists" by the touts, with similar reports from the Baleric Islands and Andalusian coast.
The firm which hired the tout featured in this hidden footage has said he was not following their guidelines.
Legitimate claims firms say they only deal in genuine cases.
For anyone tempted by the touts pitch there is a clear warning, the Foreign Office says they could face prosecution at home and overseas.
Those who get sucked into the sickness scam could find the destination their holiday leads to is jail.
If you genuinely become ill while on holiday, Victoria Bacon, a spokesperson for ABTA travel association has these tips for what you should do:
Inform your resort rep, hotel owner or tour operator
Visit the doctor and speak to your resort rep, hotel owner or tour operator about it
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of either of the above you can pursue the issue through a small claims court or through ABTA's arbitration scheme
You do not need to use claim management companies to make a claim, and if you do use them, they will typically take a large cut of whatever you are offered