Crook ripped off a family by renting non-existing caravan at Craig Tara

When Lynn Brown’s disabled mother turned up at the Ayrshire coast on Monday looking forward to a break – her accommodation was nowhere to be found.

Lynn spent £250 on the four-night stay for her mum, Angela Brown, 60, and a cousin after the caravan was advertised on Facebook Marketplace.

She said: “My mother was running around that park looking for a caravan and it wasn’t good for her. My mum is registered disabled and has had four strokes.”

The family discovered the suspected con artist didn’t actually own any caravan at the holiday destination outside Ayr.

Lynn said he sent photos of another home.

She said: “He led my mum on a wild goose chase. She was almost crying. She had been scammed out of money and was standing in the rain.”

The 31-year-old, from Bellshill,  tried to chase the man up for her cash and the family put out a warning on social media about him.

The cheat claimed the money was being transferred and said he’d meet Lynn at Glasgow Central to sort it out but never turned up.

Worryingly, he also rang  her up allegedly pretending to be a police officer threatening to charge her with slander.

She said: “I thought to myself: ‘this guy is mental.’ I just wanted to do something nice and give my mum a break.”

The alleged suspect cannot be named for legal reasons but has a criminal record.

Lynn said she has still not received her money back. She wants to warn people after learning others have been victims.

The call centre worker managed to book her mum another last-minute caravan at the Craig Tara this week.

She said: “It cost me £550 for four days in Craig Tara. We could have gone abroad.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police Scotland can confirm that a complaint was received on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, relating to a fraud involving holiday caravan accommodation at the Craig Tara Holiday Park. Enquiries into the report are now underway.

A spokeswoman from Craig Tara operator Haven said: “We were upset to hear about Ms Brown’s experience of purchasing a fraudulent

holiday.

“We continue to advise people who have been unfortunately affected by

matters such as this to report them directly to the police.

“We always advise customers to book only through trusted channels such as the official Haven website, ABTA agents or affiliated third parties. In doing so, we are able to protect guests’ money and holiday experience. We would strongly urge customers not to attempt to make bookings through unfamiliar platforms or social media channels, in order to ensure their holiday is genuine.”