Lancashire Trading Standards is urging those booking their Hajj and Umrah this year to do so with an ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licence) protected agent.

It is part of other important advice and follows a national campaign launched by the City of London Police this month.

Last year around 200 people reported falling victim to some form of Hajj fraud to Action Fraud and Trading Standards.

But the true scale of this criminality may be much greater, with many people feeling too ashamed to report to authorities what has happened to them.

Muzaffar Iqbal, from Rochdale, lost more than £7,000 to Hajj fraudsters, only finding out a few days before he and wife were due to travel to Saudi Arabia that the trip they had been dreaming about for months was not going to happen.

Mr Iqbal said: “I paid up front for a full Hajj package — flights, visas and accommodation — for my wife and I to make what was going to be our first visit to Mecca.

“But a few days before our departure date I received a call saying the visas had not arrived and we would have to delay our flights.

“A couple of weeks later this story changed to the travel company we had booked with had gone bankrupt, meaning our pilgrimage was now cancelled. I know of at least 90 people who were told the same story, some of whom got a few hundred pounds back while most, including us, lost the lot.”

County Councillor Janice Hanson, cabinet member for public protection, at Lancashire County Council said: “Don’t let your trip of a lifetime turn into a nightmare.

“The fraudulent deals are carefully designed to look like you’re getting a bargain, but our advice is that if something appears too good to be true then it probably is.

“The best way to avoid a problem is to check the credentials of the travel agent or tour operator — if an operator has an Air Travel Organiser’s License (ATOL) you can claim your money back if they close down.

“Some tour operators specialising in Hajj packages are unlicensed and are breaking UK law by not providing legal protection for travellers.

“These rogue operators prey on people at a very important time in their lives.

“I would urge anyone contemplating making the Hajj to plan in advance and use only approved tour operators. We want to ensure that Hajj pilgrims remember their trip for all the right reasons.”

Rashid Mogradia, CEO of the Council of British Hajjis, said: “As a community we are striving to eradicate the term ‘Hajj fraud’ and appreciate the City of London Police for taking the initiative to tackle it head on. “We urge people to exercise caution when booking a pilgrimage package by checking that the company holds a valid ATOL and Ministry of Hajj licence and report any suspicious activity or fraud to the authorities.”