Several guests at this year’s Tønder Festival paid for private accommodation that was suddenly cancelled without any refund, and South and South Jutland Police have received four reports of the fraud.
Guests at the festival in southern Jutland have again been cheated out of thousands of kroner this year. DR reports that booked overnight stays were cancelled at short notice, and that the money was never returned.
On the Facebook page ‘Tønder Festival Opslagstavle’, guests have been warning each other about this type of scam. The festival itself draws around 15,000 guests and 3,000 volunteers, according to DR.
Couple lost 3,500 kroner
Søs and Finn Andersen were driving to the festival from Borup on Zealand when a message arrived. Their booked accommodation had been cancelled on the morning they were due to arrive.
Søs Andersen, who is 77, told DR that the message left them in a difficult situation with nowhere to stay. The couple work as volunteers and had their first shift the following day.
They eventually found replacement accommodation, but the 3,500 kroner they had already paid has not been returned. Per DR, Søs Andersen sent the couple’s bank details to the landlord, who said the money would be transferred.
Nothing has been paid back after several attempts to recover the money. According to Søs Andersen, the two sides had agreed to meet for coffee, but the landlord did not show up.
She added that the couple may be trusting, but that they see themselves as responsible people who believe others. They had not considered that this kind of scheme could affect them, even though similar cases have been reported at festivals before.
Police confirm four reports
South and South Jutland Police confirmed to DR that they have received four reports of this type of fraud. The cases will be investigated, the force said.
Deputy Police Inspector Allan Dalager of South and South Jutland Police stated that all reports from people affected by such incidents are taken very seriously and are followed up. He did not comment on individual cases.
In 2025, police received eight reports of similar cases connected to the festival. DR notes that it is too early to conclude that the number of reports has halved, because many people wait until the festival is over before contacting police.
