CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Better Business Bureau warns travelers to be careful when booking vacation rental properties as a new scheme grows more popular among scammers.
Prospective renters are targeted through listings on sites like VRBO and Airbnb, the BBB said. After a user messages the "owner" about booking, they offer victims a special deal to book through them directly using a digital wallet like Venmo or Cashapp rather than through the rental site itself.
Scammers may also share listings to Facebook groups with claims it's their home.
After victims send an initial payment, the scammer will stop responding to messages, the agency said.
To avoid these scams, the BBB warns renters to keep all business on a reputable website and be wary of property owners who suggest exchanging payment through a different platform.
"Any protection you're going to be able to get payment-wise or with the property manager or the owner, you need to stay on that site," BBB of Southern Piedmont and Western NC President and CEO Tom Bartholomy said. "As soon as they ask you to move off of there, that's a tell as well."
The BBB also suggests researching the rental property by searching for the owner's name and the property's address to be sure it's legitimate. The agency also recommends paying with a credit card when possible, as it's often easier to dispute fraudulent charges and you have a better chance of getting your money back if something goes wrong.
Saving documents related to the booking can also help protect a renter and recover lost funds in the case one does fall victim to this scam.
"In a situation like this, any documentation you have is going to help you, especially when you're not using a credit card," Bartholomy said. "So keep those receipts, keep that documentation. You can use it with your bank or whomever if you did get taken in by these types of scammers to try to get some kind of recovery."
Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam:
- Emotional appeal - Any pitch that ratchets up your emotion will inhibit your rational judgment.
- Sense of urgency - You MUST act now, or else.
- Request for unorthodox payment - Gift cards, prepaid credit cards, wire transfers, etc.
- Explanations that don't ring true - If your new “landlord” can’t show you the inside of the house, that could be because they don’t own it.
- You won, now pay up - It’s not a prize if you have to pay for it. Taxes, fees, shipping, whatever.
- Too good to be true - That’s because it’s not true. Sorry, your long-lost relative didn’t die, leaving you millions. That car you bought online for a third of its Kelly Blue Book value doesn’t really exist. The son of a billionaire diamond broker didn’t “swipe right” on you and fall instantly in love. That work-at-home job paying you hundreds of dollars an hour for stuffing envelopes isn’t real.