Anyone going on holiday this summer issued stark warning over suitcase baggage tags as worrying problem grows

Travellers have been issued a serious warning by a baggage worker, who’s highlighted a worrying new scam that could take place before you’ve even left the airport.

We all know that as tourists in a new place, you need to be wary of fraudsters who are trying to take advantage and swindle your money.

From bracelet scams to criminals posing as fake taxi drivers, there are a number of ways that holidaymakers have unfortunately been caught out, especially in big cities.

However, you could be hit with this new scam before you’ve actually reached your destination, so it’s important to stay vigilant.

Someone who claims to work as a baggage claims manager for American airline Delta took to Reddit earlier this month to make people aware of what’s supposedly been going on.

They urged people to ‘please start discarding your bag tags at home’ as scammers have been using them to collect passengers' details and make fraudulent claims.

Holidaymakers are being warned of a clever new scam - and it involves baggage tags (Getty Stock Image)

The worker wrote: “I just wanted to let everyone know to please start discarding your bag tags at home.

“We are getting an influx of fraudulent claims being submitted for ‘missing items’ as these people are observing who is removing their luggage tags in the claim areas and using your information to submit claims for reimbursement.”

And what’s even worse is that this is not only causing issues for those whose tags are being used to commit fraud, but the people who actually have missing items aren’t getting reimbursed as early.

The Redditor continued: From my own personal experience in currently dealing with this, it is causing issues with reimbursing the real people if they submit a legitimate claim.

“So please be careful and don’t take your tags off at the airport. They can steal enough information from that to use your travel itinerary to get paid.”

If you’re jetting off on holiday this summer, this is a good piece of advice to keep in mind - the last thing you need is a scammer to ruin your time away.

So, to keep safe and make sure there’s no way they can use your details, it’s better to simply wait until you’re home or at your hotel before getting rid of the tags.

An airport worker is urging people to wait until they're home to remove their luggage tags (Getty Stock Image)

In the Reddit thread, someone else shockingly replied: “Not even bag tags, printed boarding passes as well. Next time you show up to your seat and someone else is there don’t be surprised lol.”

A second chimed in with: “That's what my shredder is for. I'm paranoid enough that I shred receipts and junk mail. Anything with my name on it gets shredded.”

And a third social media user joked: “Clearly my strategy of forgetting to remove the tag until it’s time for my next trip is paying off.”

Someone else warned: “Just adding to this….also, dont throw these away in your hotel room either. As a former hotel employee, there have been a few instances of fraud using bag tags found at hotels too. Be vigilant!”

Meanwhile, another worried holidaymaker penned: “Do one better. SHRED your bag tags and printed boarding passes as soon as you can after getting to your destination.”

So there you have it - if there’s one to remember, for your next trip, it’s definitely this.