A SINGLE mum has been left heartbroken after being scammed out of hundreds of pounds when booking a summer holiday – leaving her to sleep in her car with her kids.
Nicola Smith drove 58 miles with her four children to enjoy a summer trip for the first time in two years – only to discover she’d been tricked.
The 34-year-old found an eight-berth caravan for rent last month on Facebook, paying a private individual £500 to use it at Lyons Winkups Holiday Park in Towyn, Wales.
She claims to have paid the owner for a week’s stay with her children; Keisha, 16, Cam-ron, 14, Isla, eight, and Faith, four.
The family travelled from Nantwich, Cheshire, to the caravan site on 17 August – where their holiday hell soon began.
Nicola was shocked when she discovered the caravan she had booked was occupied by other guests.
“We were supposed to get the key to the caravan from a lock box but the code didn’t work,” Nicola said.
“The lights were on and we looked through the window and there were suitcases in there.
“I went to reception and they called the owner who said they’d never heard of me.
“When I realised it was a scam, I felt sick to my stomach.
“It was about 9.30pm and all hotels in the area were fully booked.
“I had to park in a car park, put the seats down and sleep with my kids in there.
“It’s lucky we had blankets.
“I had to keep the engine running all night to keep warm.
“I felt so angry. How could someone do that to a single mother?
“I was sad for the children and so frustrating.
CARAVAN park holidays are a British staple.
And with the cost of living crisis wreaking havoc on Britain’s purses, more of us are turning to them for an affordable break.
Josie O’Brien, Senior Digital Writer on Fabulous, weighs in on why she thinks caravan holidays are seriously underrated…
WHEN I was a child, my mum used to collect the £9.50 holiday vouchers in The Sun.
She’d use them to book a couple of nights away at a caravan park during the school holidays.
As an adult, I fully appreciate the convenience of a humble caravan holiday.
No faffing about with passports, no luggage limits and no bog-standard hotel breakfast of stale toast and grey eggs.
I still love caravan holidays as an adult.
In a world of doing everything for the ‘gram, a caravan park brings you back to basics.
There’s no obligation to get dressed up, no stress to fit a million picturesque excursions in one week and I don’t find myself flustered in tourist hot spots like abroad.
I love going to coastal caravan parks and strolling along the beach parade.
My highlight is always fresh mussels, ice-creams and classic pubs to grab an afternoon tipple in.
And then, of course, there’s the cost.
Staying in a caravan is definitely way cheaper than my international trips.
With no expensive hotel bills and the ability to cook my own meals, I’m spending hundreds less than I would abroad.
I’ve had some of my best and most relaxing holidays in caravans. Maybe I’ll buy my own one day.
“Scammers are so desperate to try and get money out of someone.”
When first booking the caravan, Nicola had a “gut instinct” that something was wrong.
She claims to have called the site before paying the deposit and was reportedly told that the owner of the van had the same name the scammer had given.
Satisfied with this information, Nicola transferred money to the scammer via Paypal.
An exchange of messages show the con artist reassuring the mum that nothing is amiss, even sharing “caravan insurance documents” and saying “We are not scammers in the slightest as I’ve stated”.
Nicola said: “I had a gut instinct that something was wrong.
“They weren’t really chasing me up for payment.
“They wanted me to pay through ‘PayPal Friends and Family’ rather than Business so I called up the site.
“The scammer had likely stayed at the caravan park themselves and found out the owner’s name.
“It’s understandable that the caravan park confirmed the name of the person, since the con artist had this info.
“I tried to check everything as best I could but what else could I have done?”
The next day, Nicola forked out £439 for a Travelodge for two nights so the children could go to the beach and fun fair, before driving home.
Nicola added: “We were squished into one room.
“I shared a bed with Keisha and Isla, Faith was in a travel cot and Cam-ron was in a bed on his own.
“We wanted to go abroad but I can’t afford it.
“It was our first holiday in two years.
“It took me a long time to save up for the holiday with the cost of living and I’ve got four children.
“We had to spend our spending money on the hotel.
“I feel heartbroken.”
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