Bogus holiday clubs are turning up at the airports offering travellers' deals on future trips, often persuading people to attend presentations where they will be asked to sign a contract of agreement.

Some holidaymakers have lost an average of £3,000 after falling victim to the scams.

Head of consumer protection at the OFT, Mike Haley said, “Those operating genuine holiday clubs will often give consumers time to mull over contracts before signing them up, unlike the organisers of fake schemes. Bogus holiday clubs won't give you any of those rights or they won't respect you as a consumer and will try to make you sign up on the day so that you can't reflect on whether it's the right thing to do.”

Consumer Direct have revealed that some fake holiday clubs have been known to call people at home informing them they have won a break abroad, when in fact they haven't.