The vacation rental industry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, with players such as Vacasa and Booking.com competing with established names like Airbnb and Vrbo. While short-term rentals remain popular among travelers for their spaciousness, privacy, and affordability, the sector has also faced criticism over fraudulent activities. Some individuals have used phony listings to cheat families of their well-deserved vacation funds.
Both New York Attorney General Letitia James and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warned travelers to stay vigilant when assessing vacation rentals last summer.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/altanaka
Rocky Trifari said, “Vacation rental scams can happen on any online platform. Scammers are constantly testing new methods of deception with hopes of luring in unsuspecting victims.”
While most vacation rentals are legitimate, it’s essential to approach booking cautiously. Experts identified the most common signs of rental scams and provided tips for preventing and dealing with them.
There Is Something Fishy About The
Listing
Aiden Joseph, Senior Editor at The Broke Backpacker, advises that if a vacation rental listing appears too good to be true, it likely is. It’s essential to be aware of typical rental rates for the location you’re considering and to be cautious of listings that offer luxuries beyond what would be expected at their price point.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/fizkes
Direct Payments Are Requested
Mike Keenan, General Counsel at vacation rental company Evolve, warns against agreeing to make direct payments outside of the booking platform, which can be a red flag for scams. Scammers may ask guests to pay via Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, wire transfer, or bank transfer, so it’s essential to use a secure method and book directly through the rental platform, such as Airbnb, Vrbo, or Evolve.
Google Searches Reveal Discrepancies
According to Mike Keenan, it’s common for vacation rental owners to list their properties on multiple platforms, so searching for duplicate listings on various websites is essential to ensure consistency in details such as location and amenities. Additionally, conducting a reverse image search of the photos in the listing can help verify that they’re not stock images or misleading.