Reasons to List With A Professional Real Estate Agent (This is the 5th in a series of 10 real life situations)
Getting A Vacation Rental? Watch Out For Scams.
A Philadelphia woman recently found out that her home was fraudulently listed on Airbnb when a family showed up to check in. On Christmas, Molly Flaherty came home to find a family on her doorstep. They’d booked it on Airbnb.
Nicole Brunet, who was standing at the lockbox, told Flaherty she’d rented the property on Airbnb for her parents, who were visiting for the holidays from California, Brunet told Insider.
Jennifer Austin had no reason to believe the vacation rental she booked on Vrbo was a scam. The photos of the home in Oro Valley, Ariz., featured a cozy living room with overstuffed furniture, a widescreen TV and a bathroom with designer soaps — all located in a “close-knit community.”
But the listing wasn’t what she expected from the photos, says Austin, a retired software salesperson from Westford, Mass.
“It was a trailer,” she says. “And it was in a trailer park.”
How To Spot A Scam
New York State Attorney General Letitia James issued a warning for consumers seeking rental properties.
“Summer plans can quickly melt if consumers aren’t careful when they book their getaway,” James said in a statement. “Vacation fraud happens every year, but there are ways to avoid it and protect yourself from getting burned.”
Rental scams can happen at any time of the year, but the good news is there are ways you can spot them before you’ve been taken advantage of, according to Michelle Couch-Friedman, executive director at Elliott Advocacy, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization.
Biggest Warning Sign
The biggest red flag that a listing is a scam is when you are asked to leave a listing platform such as Vrbo or Airbnb in order to provide a payment, Couch-Friedman said.
A fake real estate owner will ask a consumer to send $500, for example, via an online payment platform such as Zelle. Those transfers are instant and cannot be reversed, Couch-Friedman said.
Tips to Avoid Vacation Rental Scams
- Don’t wire money or pay with a prepaid or gift card for a vacation rental. Once the scammer collects the money, it is almost impossible to get it back.
- Don’t be rushed into a decision. If you receive an email pressuring you to make a decision on the spot for a rental, ignore it and move on.
- Look out for super cheap rates for premium vacation properties. Below-market rent can be a sign of a scam. Do some extra research to confirm the deal is legitimate before jumping in.
- Get a copy of the contract before you send any deposit money. Check that the address of the property really exists. If the property is located in a resort, call the front desk and confirm the location of the property and other details on the contract.
If you come across any of these ads, report it to Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint, whether you lost money or not.
Contact Police
If you see something that looks suspicious or you have been scammed, contact the police. The sooner you report the scam the better your chances at recovering your money, or preventing someone else from the scam.
Marilyn Tucker
