Before you book that beachfront bungalow, make sure it is what it seems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scam:<\/strong> Con artists pretend to own an appealing vacation rental and get you to pay them a deposit or the full amount in advance, but the property doesn\u2019t exist, isn\u2019t available to rent, or isn\u2019t as nice as it\u2019s portrayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How it works:<\/strong> There are a few variations of this scheme. The scammer may create a fake listing online or even take over a legitimate account on rental sites like Airbnb or VRBO. When a guest books, the scammer collects a deposit or full payment and stops communicating; the guest is left without a reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other tricks:<\/strong> A scammer really does have a property, but they double book it so two or more guests pay for a reservation. The guest who arrives first takes possession; the other is left to fend for themself. Or an owner uses photos and descriptions that don\u2019t match reality \u2014 so the dream vacation rental turns out to be a substandard disappointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warning signs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some rental red flags:<\/p>\n\n\n\n