Sark campsite website hacked

Friday 16 November 2018

A Sark campsite has been the victim of fraud with hackers intercepting payments made in conjunction with bookings for next summer's festivals.

The Pomme de Chien campsite is popular with people booking in advance for the popular Sark Folk Festival, along with other events including the Sark Summer Festival and the Roots Festival as well as those heading to Sark for quieter breaks.

The owner was alerted to the scam by a regular visitor, and Guernsey Police are now helping Jill Rang and her customers try to get their money back. 

At least one person has lost hundreds of pounds, with Guernsey Police warning "it will be extremely difficult to get this money back."

The first Mrs Rang knew about the hacking was when someone told her payments were being misdirected to a third party. She now wants festival fans to check their own bank accounts and to contact her to ask if she has received their payments. 

“They’ve hacked my emails, and are changing my bank details. I found out because someone who has stayed with me before noticed they were wrong and called me. People should call me to see if I have received their money.”

The organisers of the Sark Folk Festival, which is making a return in 2019 after a year off, are trying to help Mrs Rang reach customers. Tickets for their event went on sale at the beginning of November, with tickets for the Sark Summer Festival going on sale a week later, meaning a number of people would have tried to book accommodation before it all sold out. 

Guernsey Police Financial Crime Investigator Paul Winberg said: “People who think they have been affected should change their email password. We have had three reports of this today, and encourage anyone who believes they have been affected to contact Action Fraud. Unfortunately it will be extremely difficult to get that money back.”