Accommodation scams leave Tønder Festival guests thousands out of pocket

Several guests at this year’s Tønder Festival have lost thousands of kroner after their booked accommodation was cancelled without refunds, DR reports.

The festival has around 15,000 guests and 3,000 volunteers. Guests have warned each other about similar scams on the Facebook group Tønder Festival Noticeboard.

Søs and Finn Andersen were travelling from Borup on Zealand when they received a message saying their accommodation had been cancelled on the morning they were due to arrive. The couple, who were volunteering at the festival, had their first shift the following day.

They found replacement accommodation, but have not recovered the 3,500 kroner they had already paid. After several attempts to get the money back, they say the landlord has not transferred it or shown up for an arranged meeting.

“We may be trusting, but we are also responsible people who believe in others, so we could not imagine that something like this could happen,” Søs Andersen said.

South and Sønderjylland Police confirmed that they had received four inquiries about this type of fraud and said the cases would be investigated.

“We take all reports from people who have experienced an incident like this very seriously and are following them up,” said Allan Dalager, deputy police inspector at South and Sønderjylland Police.

Police received eight inquiries about similar cases at the festival last year. It is too early to conclude that the number has been cut in half, however, as many people wait until the festival has ended before contacting the police.