Brits scamming "sickies" in Greece

British travellers to Greece and other tourist destinations have been accused of increasingly making fraudulent claims.

Greece has been identified as one of the destinations that has seen an increase in insurance scams by British travellers.

In response,  the UK's Foreign Office added Greece to its list of destinations frequented by UK travellers with false holiday sickness claims.

The Foreign Office urges vacationers to “only consider pursuing a complaint or claim if you have genuinely suffered from injury or illness; if you make a false or fraudulent claim, you may face legal proceedings in the UK or Greece”.

Other destinations included in the list are Turkey and Bulgaria.

The Foreign Office is backing the Association of British Travel Agents  “Stop Sickness Scams” campaign, which has called on the government to crack down on fake holiday sickness claims while warning vacationers about the consequences of filing false claims.

According to ABTA Chief Executive Mark Tanzer, this is “one of the biggest issues that has hit the travel industry for many years” with travel professionals saying it is a “British problem”.

"The government must urgently address this issue. The legal loophole that is allowing firms to unduly profit from these claims must be closed,” Tanzer added.