Help needed – scam payments to "LOVEHOL-DOM" and nowhere left to turn

jimjames

Newsall said:

FreelanceInTheCity said:

Hi all,
I’m hoping someone here can offer advice or has been through something similar.

Back in March, a relative of mine tried to book flights online through what she believed was Love Holidays. She spoke to someone on the phone, who then moved the conversation to WhatsApp to take payment — something we now know is not normal practice.

Her card wouldn’t go through, so I paid on her behalf using my debit card. Two payments went out — one for £58 (supposedly airport taxes) and one for £87.

We never received a booking confirmation or any kind of follow-up. After a couple of days, we tried calling the number again but there was no response. That’s when I spotted the payments were to LOVEHOL-DOM, not the official Love Holidays. I immediately cancelled my card and called my bank (Lloyds).

Then in April, a further £330.95 was taken by the same merchant. The bank refunded it initially but has now taken it back, saying there’s a recurring billing agreement in place. They also confirmed the same company tried to take £1,600 after that, which thankfully failed.

We’ve spent hours on the phone with Lloyds’ fraud and disputes teams. They advised us to speak to Love Holidays directly, but without a booking reference, we can’t get through their automated system. Action Fraud also won’t investigate.

So now I’m stuck:

• No refund

• No way to contact the actual company

• And apparently no one responsible for investigating this

I’m very careful with money and scams, and this has been a really upsetting experience, both financially and mentally.

Has anyone dealt with a situation like this before?
Is there anywhere else I can go?  A regulator, ombudsman, or someone who can take this further? Or even a way to track down the company behind the “LOVEHOL-DOM” merchant name?

Thank you so much in advance for any advice.

I saw a post on your website and faced similar issues with the same merchant, LOVEHOL-DOM.
As the post mentioned, I am in a similar situation. On 22nd July, LOVEHOL-DOM made three transactions on my HSBC credit card: one for £0.30 and two for £750 each. (None of these transactions required OTP verification or triggered a bank fraud alert.)

On 24th July, I noticed these charges on my statement and immediately informed the bank. However, the bank is now saying that LOVEHOL-DOM transactions are confirmed as authorized by me, and I need to contact the merchant directly. 

How are the bank claiming that you authorised the payments if no OTP was required?

Newsall

i also pointed and and bank agreed but only compensated 75 pound , bank is saying there are merchant who don't issue OTP and this     Merchant have completed the transection without OTP, please advise other then BANK what other option i have