A convincing scam nearly saw a man hand over more than £500 meant for his 26th anniversary celebrations in a top hotel.

Terry Palmer, of Willowbank, Sandwich, received a phone call on Thursday last week from someone claiming to be from The Savoy Hotel in London.

They said there had been some issues regarding his booking and they would email him.

Mr Palmer, who lives with wife Stella Riley, had booked the hotel for their 26th wedding anniversary in January through Booking.com. It was part of a book now and pay later scheme with a free cancellation period.

The first email claimed to be from The Savoy, and the second from hotel search engine Booking.com. It explained that Mr Palmer would need to immediately pay £510 to secure the room, citing high demand and a high number of cancellations.

Mr Palmer is on the committee for Sandwich Festival and Sandwich Honfleur Twinning, as well as running amateur dramatics group Quayside Players. He said the email from Booking.com “had all the hallmarks of being genuine.”

He said: “They had my mobile number plus Booking.com reference number – all genuine.

“I contacted Booking.com immediately sending an email but didn’t receive a reply. I therefore rang The Savoy who were brilliant.

“She came back straightaway saying this was not from the hotel and was not their policy. She further confirmed my booking, adding not to respond to the email and that someone would be in touch first thing in the morning. This they did with both an email and later a phone call from the hotel that was verifiable.”

Depending on the type of room booked, prices for The Savoy Hotel can be in the region of £1,000 a night.

Mr Palmer, a retired telecommunications manager, said alarm bells were ringing when the email asked for the full amount via a bank transfer. He believes the criminals must have taken his details through the Booking.com website.

Mr Palmer said Booking.com was not helpful when contacted, and “didn’t seem bothered”.

He has since changed his password and complained to the website that the service he received after the foiled scam was disappointing.

“They had my mobile number plus Booking.com reference number – all genuine." - Terry Palmer

He wants to make others aware that scams like these can be very sophisticated and often emails can appear legitimate – but people should be wary if they have any doubts.

He has also reported it to the police action fraud line.

Booking.com would not comment on individual cases but outlined some of the stringent security measures it said it had in place to combat these crimes.

A spokesman said: “Unfortunately these sort of emails are an industry-wide threat. We do try to commit to applying the highest level of security to combat these threats.”

Booking.com has a dedicated security team and would urge anyone who experiences problems like this to get in touch.

A spokesman added: “Phishing emails are criminal activities so [Booking.com] talks with local law enforcement and takes necessary measures to secure the privacy of partners, accommodations and customers.”