How to spot a scam on vacation rental business

How to spot a scam on vacation rental business

The last few years many people have been scammed by ‘fake’ homeowners who want to ‘rent’ their vacation house,or apartment.

Here are some tips for you to avoid being scammed and pay for a ‘fake’ rental.

1)Check the listing carefully. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Look for vague or hard to believe descriptions, poor spelling and grammar, or photos that don’t match the property

2)Search the owner\’s profile on social media or his name on google search. Home owners usually appear in a lot of searches on the web ,especially if they are doing this for years.

3)On social media like facebook a fake home owner will have a profile the most 1 years old, with photos and news feeds probably the last months only.

A true homeowner will have a profile on facebook that goes back probably for a lot of years.

4)Search the villa or apartment that you want to book, on online platforms like AIRBNB OF BOOKING.COM.  A true listing will have at the end of it,the name of the owner. Check if this name matches with the owner that proposes  you to book a rental. If this does not make sense for you, then ask a question to this platform(Airbnb etc) and wait to see if you get an answer from the same person that you are talking to for the rental you want to book for.

5)Don’t send money directly to the host, such as through Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or wire transfer. Always ask for a bank account number.

6)Research the property and the host. Look for the owner’s name, property address, and images of the property online. See if you can find any duplicate listings or reviews on other sites. If the property doesn’t exist or has negative feedback, it may be a scam

7)Pick up your phone and call to  talk with them and ask questions,or info about the area of the rental, scammers usually don\’t know everything about the area and can not provide local advice about the shops and the surroundings.

8)The rental price is too good to be true: If the listing is offering bargain basement rates for premium properties, it’s probably too good to be true. While vacation booking companies offer deals all the time, they usually won’t go dramatically below market. Do some extra research to determine if the renter is legitimate.

9)You’re getting pressured to book: If you receive communications pressuring you to make an immediate decision,  back off.

10)Every rental in Greece, has a licence number and this number must be on top of the listing so anyone can spot it easily.

Even the Properties from individuals like Airbbn, are obligated to write their licence number on every online presentation like social media etc. Don\’t book properties without number!

examples (AIRBNB INDIVIDUALS ALWAYS STARTS WITH AMA 11111111111, ΕΣΛ- FOR RENT ROOMS. AND HOTELS HAS THEIR OWN CERTIFICATION NUMBERS)

While there is always a risk of a scam when making online transactions, you should not expect this to be the rule. If you remain weary and keep the above mentioned helpful safety tips in mind, you’ll be able to have a pleasant scam-free experience!