You are ready to have the vacation of your dreams and, hoping to save some money, look for rental properties in the city you are going to.
After researching online for days, you find the ideal property: beautiful house, close to the beach, everything is included, and – most importantly – an affordable price!
You are smart and actually research the existence of the property. It does exist and you might even find it listed on some other “Rent by owner” sites, with great authentic reviews, from real people. Happy, you contact the owner, close the deal, and wire the money. You go on your vacation, but when you get to the house, there are other tourists in it!
What happened was the scammer took the initial postings of the vacation property and reposted it himself on other websites, putting his own phone number or e-mail, as contact. You paid for a real property, but to the wrong person – similar to the case listed in New landlord renting property scam.
How to avoid: very tough, but doable. First, call the owner, instead of emailing him. When you do that, make sure you have prepared a few detailed questions about the neighborhood. Research what’s in the area before the call and ask the owner, fake or real, about specific shops, institutions, or buildings close by. For example, if you found that there is a hospital next block, ask him how far away is the closest hospital. Also, if the “owner” speaks a broken English, just stay away. If he refuses to talk on the phone for whatever reason, you know it’s a scam.