Travel question: How can I know whether to trust a holiday firm online?

Q I want to book a holiday villa through a website which looks legitimate but for which I can’t find any reviews, nor any Twitter or Facebook activity. Do I hand over my hard-earned cash?

Name withheld

A Villa fraud costs travellers millions of pounds every year. The standard model is that an attractive website is set up with masses of availability at low prices. People book in good faith, but then discover that they have lost all their money – often only at the point when they arrive at the property.

Therefore it pays to be ultra-cautious. I have deliberately not mentioned the company, just in case anyone is tempted to try it. But I have conducted a few checks and found some surprising aspects to the firm.

For example, the site you told me about ostensibly belongs to a Madrid-based villa-rental firm specialising in Spain. Its website is hosted in Lithuania, which surprises me.

Next, regular companies stipulate the legal jurisdiction that applies – which in the case of a business selling Spanish villas to the British market you might expect to be Spain, England or possibly Scotland. But this one says: “Your booking is governed by law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts.” No mention of any specific country, which should be enough to warn you off.

Finally, the website uses American English, especially in its terms and conditions. But I think I know why: they are copied and pasted from a perfectly legitimate South Carolina rental firm.

You were right to feel alarmed by the absence of a digital footprint. Avoid.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder