Mum's warning after being tricked by Blackpool holiday cottage scam on Facebook

A mum has warned families booking holidays in Blackpool to stay vigilant after losing a £100 deposit in a scam that promised her a four night getaway. Emma Reynolds, 37, booked a cottage stay in the resort town after stumbling across an advertisement for a cottage and hot tub stay on Facebook.

She had looked forward to for a 'weekend family break' with her partner Dorota and 10-year old son Kyle as well as her cousin and her partner. Booking last minute, Emma felt she had uncovered a 'good deal' shared by a Facebook account that appeared to be operates by the owner of a cottage in Blackpool, as well as a caravan on Marton Mere, a lodge with a hot tub in Blackpool and a caravan in Presthaven, Wales.

The supposed owner, who is currently advertising holiday rents under the name of Amy Lucia, took a £100 deposit and gave Emma the choice of paying the full amount - an extra £250 - at the same time or 'before or on' the day of arrival. Emma decided to pay the extra £250 after checking in.

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The scam gave Emma, from Walsall, the choice of making the payment either directly to their 'business account' or through a payment link powered by SumUp. LancsLive attempted to book a stay with Amy Lucia where the same bank details were provided as well as a SumUp link which showed a clear method of payment to 'Amy's cottages'.

But the real owners of the cottage have spoken to LancsLive to confirm they do not operate under the name Amy Lucia, and do not advertise on Facebook, or take payments in this way. After paying her deposit, Emma had 'regular contact' with Amy Lucia and even asked for a mobile number she could contact should anything go wrong