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Vacation Home Rental Scams

Regardless of which website or worldwide vacation rental organization, bulletin boards or forums that display vacation rental ads do not deal with anyone that asks you to wire them money. If you are a vacation home renter or owner of a vacation rental property - never wire money. 

NEVER DEAL WITH ANYONE THAT ASKS YOU TO WIRE THEM MONEY.  If a property owner requires a cashier check, take additional steps to assure the owner and rental are legitimate.  Most scammers will only take cashiers checks or ask money to be wired. 

Never wire money or send cashiers checks in any vacation rental or B&B transaction. Please view our vacation rental guide Renters Guide and Disclaimer.

For Vacation Home Renters:

There are always people who want to exploit others through a scam, regardless of what is being offered to you, be it a product on ebay, a motor vehicle you might have for sale in a local newspaper and even vacation rentals.

Avoid becoming the victim of a scammer. If the property owner offers up any hesitation or tries to communicate via email only, or something just doesn't seem right, do not go ahead with the rental  transaction. There are thousands of vacation rentals, move on to a respected vacation rental owner that fully answers all of your questions and is more than willing to offer up proof that they are the legitimate owners of the property.

• Does the property owner offer a website to view the property? Most scammers won't take the time to create a website. Additionally creating a website leaves a trail that law enforcement can track to prosecute the scammer. Just because a property owner does not have a website does not make them a scammer, but it should raise a flag to proceed with caution.
• When possible, pay with a credit card.  Your credit card company may provide you protection in the event of fraud.
• Most smaller vacation rental owners do not accept credit cards as a form of payment. In that case most will accept a personal check. However, most scammers will only take cashiers checks or ask money to be wired. This should be a red flag. If a property owner requires a cashier check, take additional steps to assure the owner and rental are legitimate. 

If a vacation rental owner insists your wire them money, beware it is a scam.  Never wire money. Do not deal with them.  Notify us immediately,  if a vacation rental owner requests you to wire money and we will remove the ad. 

How do I know vacation rentals are legitimate?

Regardless of which vacation rental site you visit, it would be physically impossible for that site to interview and visit each property listing owner. 

Even if we could verify the address and physically see the property, we could not guarantee that the property we saw or verified is the property being offered to you.  Why?  Because you contact the owner directly.  We, or any other internet vacation rental agency does not have access to your private emails. We do not know what was said, when and how many emails you send because you send them privately, not through our agency.  As the owner or propertied owner answers your emails directly without our knowledge, we could not know what property is offered as a rental.  Therefore be careful.  

Does a local newspaper send an employee out to inspect each home offered for rent or each product for sale in it's classified section?  Likely not.  With most advertised items its buyer beware. 

As a potential renter of a vacation home, please check out any rental.  Insist on  the address of the rental then do a search on the internet or better still if you know someone in the area, ask them to view the property.  Ask the owner if the home can be viewed before payment is made.  If they refuse, move on to someone else.  Ask for phone number references from other renters, then call them.  Do not wire money.  

If an owner asks you to wire them money for any reason, do not do it. Contact the vacation rental service and advise them that the advertisement is a scam.

For Vacation Rental Property owners

If any person emails you indicating that they will be paying for some friends going on a honeymoon or that someone else, UNICEF, the Red Cross, United Nations, their company, their church organization or whoever will be paying for their rental it is a scam.  DO NOT reply to their email.

Many vacation rental scams are sent using Yahoo or gmail addresses.

We want to share a heads up alert that affects vacation rental owners around the world, whether they belong to a vacation home club or advertise on their own.   

Most people inquiring about rentals are sincere and genuine. They follow up with payment and the experience is positive for you and them.

There are always people who want to exploit others through a scam, regardless of what is being offered by you, be it a product on ebay, a motor vehicle you might have for sale in a local newspaper and even vacation rentals.

If you offer a vacation rental, customers pay you.

If someone you don’t know wants to pay you by check or money order but wants you to wire some of the money back, beware! It’s a scam that could cost you thousands of dollars.

There is no legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask you to wire money back.

Usually emails with poor grammar, spelling, odd use of capital letters and/or asking you to wire money or participate in an unusual bank transaction is a scam. The sender is usually attempting to obtain money. Your money!  There will undoubtedly be some very plausible sense of urgency for you to write your check or wire back money immediately. That's crucial to the scammer's plan, because the cashier's check/money order he sends you will be a complete counterfeit.

If you have suspicions about a potential renter or something doesn't seem right, you have the power to say no, my property is not available. You also can indicate that you accept credit card payments only.

We want your experience to be positive.  

The following are scam attempts:  If any person emails you indicating that they will be paying for some friends going on a honeymoon or that someone else, UNICEF, the Red Cross, United Nations, their company, their church organization or whoever will be paying for their rental it is a scam.  DO NOT reply to their email.

Many Vacation rental scams are sent using Yahoo or gmail addresses.

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Hi There how are u doing i am mr smith i am a chemist i need a suitable apt for my

stay and i am comin with my wife and my son i will like to know if ur apt will be

available for the month of 29thDec to the 9rd of Jan and can u tell me the total

amount for my stay (my method of payment will be in cheque)
thanks.....
smith alan
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Hello,my name is James,i am so much interested in renting your Home for
1week period and i will Like to Know the Total cost of the Rentage and also
the availability date you have in Febuary.And also i will like to know the
Address of the Home.
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Hello,
I am Terry Scott, am a football coach and i work with the EXILES RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB here in Denmark. I will be coming over to US on holiday from the 1st of September on to the 17th of September 2007 for Vacation with my wife Rita.
Could you please send me a more detailed description of your accommodation and What's the cost of rental per week or per night? Exiles rugby will be paying you in advance of our visit so that we can be assured of an accommodation during our stay, because this is our first visit to US and Exiles rugby is also taking care of all my vacation expenses.
An early reply will be appreciated. Please acknowledge if you can offer this accommodation service and am email, so we can conclude on all other arrangements ASAP, as time is not really on our side
Kind Regards,
Scott.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,
I am Dr Peterson Opoko, a medical director and i work with the UNICEF here
in Ghana. I will be coming over to
Glendale Arizona on vacation from the 5th of
January on to the 5th of Febuary 2007 for a 1 month Vacation with my wife
Lora.
Could you please send me a more detailed description of your accomodation
and What's the cost of rental per month? Unicef will be paying
you in advance of our visit so that we can be assured of an accomodation
during our stay, because this is our first visit to the States and Unicef is
also taking care of all my vacation expenses.
An early reply will be appreciated. Please acknowledge if you can offer this
accomodation service and give me a call on my direct line (+233 276 908655)
as soon as you receive this email, so we can conclude on all other
arrangements ASAP, as time is not really on our side.

Best Regards,

Dr.Peterson Opoko.
Social Work Cordinator,
Unicef Ghana.
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We received a response from a person alleging to be a doctor
currently on duty on a United States aircraft carrier deployed to the gulf
for Iraq war duty. The individual gave his name as; Bill Smith. 

This individual stated that he was setting up a honeymoon vacation for some
friends of his and wanted them to stay at our vacation home. Through a 
series of emails he attempted to arrange for a Cashier's Check to be sent for an
amount greater than the rental and have us wire the difference to an
alleged travel agent who would handle the other details such as air fare,
car rental, etc..

Eventually a check for $5000.00 in U.S. funds was mailed to our business
address from Canada with no return address. The difference was $3200.00.
Because this felt wrong from the start we naturally gave close scrutiny to
the check and found several points which made no sense such as the fact that
the remitter was identified as Allstate Insurance. Our bank quickly
confirmed that the check was fraudulent. This matter has been turned over to
the office of the United States Postal Investigator for investigation as a
federal crime.

We felt that you would wish to know of this attempt so that you may advise
your other clients that this type of scam may be attempted on them also.

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Some Ways to recognize a scam  

For vacation Rental Owners

• you receive an email  offering to rent your apartment, sight unseen.
• cashier's check is offered as a deposit for an apartment, or for just about anything else of value.
• value of cashier's check often far exceeds your rent - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service
• banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases!
• scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc)

• this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience - the cashier's check is FAKE
• scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check

For Vacation Renters

• Scam "bait" items include apartments and vacation rental homes but could be almost anything
• Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is FALSE, once you've wired money, it is GONE.
• Apartment listing may be local, but landlord/owner is "travelling" or "relocating" and needs you to wire money to them abroad
• Deal often seems too good to be true, price is too low, rent is below market, etc

Never wire money in any vacation transaction.    

Please view our vacation rental guide Renters Guide and Disclaimer.

We want to share a heads up alert that affects vacation rental owners around the world, whether they belong to a vacation home club or advertise on their own.   

Most people inquiring about rentals are sincere and genuine. They follow up with payment and the experience is positive for you and them.

There are always people who want to exploit others through a scam, regardless of what is being offered by you, be it a product on ebay, a motor vehicle you might have for sale in a local newspaper and even vacation rentals.


If you offer a vacation rental, customers pay you.

If someone you don’t know wants to pay you by check or money order but wants you to wire some of the money back, beware! It’s a scam.

Do not deal with anyone, not matter how legitimate they sound, that wants you to send money back to them by wire or money order

Usually emails with poor grammar, spelling, odd use of capital letters and/or asking you to wire money or participate in an unusual bank transaction is a scam. 

The scammer will create a sense of urgency for you to write your check or wire back money immediately. That's crucial to the scammer's plan, because the cashier's check/money order he sends you will be a complete counterfeit.

If you have suspicions about a potential renter or something doesn't seem right, you have the power to say no, my property is not available. 

You also can indicate that you accept credit card payments only.

We want your experience to be positive.

Some examples of scams sent vacation rental owners 

The following are actual scams sent to vacation rental owners.   Members from other vacation rental clubs have also received similar emails:

This is to inform you of a scam which was attempted via a response to 
our listing. We felt that, if it was attempted on us, it may also
be attempted on other clients with your or other services and that you would wish to  be aware of it.

Briefly, we received a response from a person alleging to be a doctor
currently on duty on a United States aircraft carrier deployed to the gulf
for Iraq war duty. The individual gave his name as; Bill Smith. 

This individual stated that he was setting up a honeymoon vacation for some
friends of his and wanted them to stay at our vacation home. Through a 
series of emails he attempted to arrange for a Cashier's Check to be sent for an
amount greater than the rental and have us wire the difference to an
alleged travel agent who would handle the other details such as air fare,
car rental, etc..

Eventually a check for $5000.00 in U.S. funds was mailed to our business
address from Canada with no return address. The difference was $3200.00.
Because this felt wrong from the start we naturally gave close scrutiny to
the check and found several points which made no sense such as the fact that
the remitter was identified as Allstate Insurance. Our bank quickly
confirmed that the check was fraudulent. This matter has been turned over to
the office of the United States Postal Investigator for investigation as a
federal crime.

We felt that you would wish to know of this attempt so that you may advise
your other clients that this type of scam may be attempted on them also.

Best Regards,

From: Rev.Nathaniel Stockings
Email: nathkonsults1@yahoo.com

Hello,

My name is Reverend Nathan Stockings.I am a missionary based in Canada but 
currently doing missionary work in the Uk which I am about concluding.I have 
been granted a one month vacation in the united states with my family to 
enable me spend some time with them after being away for a long time. My 
family is a family of four comprising of 2 kids, both above 15yrs, and my 
wife Mrs Elaine Stockings.If this unit will be available from May 6th to the 
3rd of June or if you will have any other dates open within or around this 
time,please update me with your rates per week and some recent photos, if 
available for your payment to be sent to you by the church via courier.Also 
indicate in your mail, if you have transport services available in that 
locality.I look forward to hearing from you.Thanks,Nathan.+447031930854 or 
(011)447031930854

Another version of the attempted vacation rental scam:

Thanks for your earlier response.I want to apologise for the delay in
response in this negotiations on behalf of my client.He explained that
after reading the agreement,he had to send your bill immediately to their
office in Canada for approval before he can be able to confirm that your
payment will be ready and in full.He sent it yesterday and received the
approval today and has instructed me to continue with this transaction and
to let you know that his travel allowances has been included in the check
you are to receive.He made me to understand that this is standard procedure
for the church in getting his payment accross to him.I have also outlined
my client's information and instructions in the lines to follow.
Below are my client's contact information for necessary documentation ;
 NAME: Rev Mark Olsen OFFICE ADDRESS: 3705 Mission Springs Drive,
Kelowna, BC V1W 3L8
HOME ADDRESS: 111 Frid Street, Hamilton, ON L8P 4M3
PHONE NUMBER: 800 990 2323 (NOT IN SERVICE)
 I met him through a friend here in the Uk where he has been doing the
Lord's service for nearly 8 months.He employed me as his agent in the Uk to
help him find a place in the states since his work in the Uk is about to be
concluded and he has been assigned to a fresh missionary appointment in the
states.
 He has further asked me to inform you that his his travel allowance
which has been included in your payment will go to the wife Mrs Patricia
Olsen(she will also be coming with the Reverend) through his assistant whom
you are to send the funds to.He has further instructed that all documents
or contracts to be signed must come through the fax number I have provided
below or sent through his email(reverendolsen_ucg@outgun.com) .On this
note,the church has approved the sum of $4,900 as preliminary funds for
take off. This funds was officially supposed to be sent to me as his agent
but, since I'm not located within the states (which the church is not aware
of), my client has decided to submit your contact information to church as
recipient of the funds so that when you receive the funds,you are to minus
my client's travel allowance of $3,100 from the total and hold on to your
fees of $1,800 for 14 nights. If there are any fees not mentioned prior to
this mail,please notify me asap so
 that adjustments can be made immediately.
 The allowance is to sent to my client's wife through his assistant.The
name and present location of the assistant will be provided by the client
once it is available. Finally,inorder for this payment to be made and
received by you from the church,you will be needed to provide the following
information in the order.
Please provide the following:
1- Legal name in full ..............
2.Physical contact address .....................
3.Phone number(s) ...........................
I will also like to mention here that all the information you will provide
will be verified and kept in strict confidence and it will be noteworthy to
mention that you don't owe me any finacial obligations as I have already
been paid by my client.I will be expecting your mail with full contact
information so that we can proceed.
Thanks.Robert McLauren.
The Coach House, Church St, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1BJ
 +447031930854
 fax 0870 478 0659

This isn't the scammers real name or address.

Other versions or wording in emails to be alert for:

I'm a model coming to your country  (notice doesn't say what country)

I'm on sabbatical and will be coming to your city  (doesn't say what city)

Paying for a honeymoon.  

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We are a British Columbia based vacation home accommodation service, advertising vacation homes since 2001