Emma lost $7K to this latest vacation rental scam - Spy Briefing

Emma lost $7K to this latest vacation rental scam

Home » Emma lost $7K to this latest vacation rental scam

Emma L. and her family were planning a dream Spanish vacation.

Sadly, it turned out to be a nightmare Airbnb experience.

You see, Emma planned an eight-night trip to Majorca, one of Spain’s most beautiful Islands.

The family had been saving up all year for their dream Mediterranean vacation.

About a year before the planned vacation Emma started looking for villas on the island large enough to accommodate the whole family.

Once she found an Airbnb listing that she liked, Emma did a Google Earth search for the property.

She vetted the property and found it was a perfect fit for the family.

After reaching out to the host on Airbnb Emma received a note informing her to check her WhatsApp. It would tell her if the dates she wanted were available.

Emma sent a WhatsApp message and received a reply from “Lyda with Travel Villas.”

The message included a link confirming the property was available at a discounted rate.

“Please send us your email so we can send you the PDF Brochure of the villa with all the details regarding the photos, services, location, and terms of the booking,” the message read.

Emma received a message that she was “approved to book.”

It said she would receive a guarantee that her reservation would be confirmed after payment.

The message included an agreement about cancellation. In addition, it shared a link to join a loyalty program for future discounts.

But, just hours before the family were supposed to leave for the trip Emma realized the dream vacation booking was all a scam.

Emma became concerned after “Travel Villas” didn’t reply to follow-up messages about the check-in process.

The family was out over $5,000 they had paid for the Airbnb and lost more than $2,000 in airline fees.

It turns out that scammers had copied and pasted pictures from a legitimate travel agency.

“I felt stupid,” lamented Emma. “We started telling the children that we weren’t going, which was awful because they had their suitcases packed and they were all excited.”

Airbnb removed the listing and offered support to the family.

As many Americans hit the road for summer vacations it’s important to remember that vacation rental scams are everywhere.

Considering this, here are a few ways to spot a fake vacation listing.

Payments forms:

A red flag that Emma overlooked was communicating with the host via WhatsApp.

In addition, she was sent a payment link through the messaging app.

She didn’t make her payment through Airbnb even though that was where the rental property was listed.

You shouldn’t make payments for a rental using a different platform or method (such as wire transfer, gift cards), or a different website.

Complete payments through Airbnb or whatever website you are booking the property through.

There are protections in place from these rental websites as well as your credit card company.

Which means, when you do everything legit on your end there are ways to recoup money if you are scammed.

Picture perfect:

Another thing to look for when booking a rental property is the quality of the pictures.

Most Airbnb hosts are taking photos of their properties.

The majority of property owners aren’t going to hire a professional just to take photos.

So, if the photos advertising the property look like they are professionally done or have been edited it could be a sign of fraud.

After looking at the pictures of the property do an internet search to see if there are other pictures online to verify that you are indeed looking at the legitimate property.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but if the beauty of the property is too good to be true it could be a scam.

Trusted websites:

There are more than 20,000 vacation rental websites in the U.S., and obviously not all of them are legitimate.

When using a vacation rental website, stick with trusted websites such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.

Stay away from websites that don’t appear professionally designed or if they are missing contact information and privacy policies.

When using a website make sure it has secure payment processing, which means it should have “https” or a padlock icon.

Also, avoid using “new” websites that you aren’t familiar with.

More than 40% of vacationers have looked at fake listings online before booking a vacation, because sadly, they are everywhere.

If you think you’ve been the victim of a fraudulent vacation booking, contact your bank immediately to stop payment.

Then report the fraud to the company and try your best to enjoy your next vacation.

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