Beware of rental scams
Thanks to the fast reactions of a couple of cautious owners, it seems that the overpayment scam is still doing the rounds - and so we felt it would be helpful to give all our owners a friendly reminder on how to avoid getting caught out by the scammers. The 'Overpayment scam'
You may even be asked to purchase a camera or mobile phone to be ready when they arrive. The e-mail may sound perfectly plausible to begin with... Then the scam kicks in...
What happens is that the original cheque sent to you was a fraud - although it appears in your account it is not 'available funds' until cleared by the banking system - which can take up to 8 weeks. In the meantime, you will have sent a perfectly sound refund By the time you realise you've been 'had' - it's too late! Don't let them get away with it! Here's a few pointers that should cause alarm bells to ring...
2. A strange-sounding e-mail address - not always foolproof - but nonsensical letters and numbers combines with 'free' e-mail addresses such as 'hotmail' and 'yahoo' or foreign e-mail services should make you suspicious. Ask for a business/work e-mail address. 3. Bad spelling and grammar - not just because English may not be their first language - but the kind of poor, disjointed sentences produced by free internet translation programmes like babelfish. 4. The email all in CAPS, without any punctuation. 5. Generalised emails i.e. "I'm looking to rent your house/apartment/hotel/villa..." It demonstrates a mass e-mail. 6. Unusually long bookings out of season. 7. Mentioning that they are keen to send payment right away. 8. Not asking the usual questions about beaches, facilities etc 9. Over-enthusive explanation of their title or profession (Dr. or Lord etc) or that there are very religious (they'll be attending a Christian conference etc). 10. Someone making a last-minute booking by direct bank transfer - always check that it clears before they arrive. Finally, a few tips to expose scammers
Never give out your bank details to anyone who you are not reassured is genuine
Finally - if you have any scams to share with owners - or indeed tips to make the process less fraught with worry - do please e-mail us and we will add them to the next newsletter. |
The basic scam is that a holidaymaker will make a booking and then send you a cheque for 2 or 3 times the amount requested. You will be told that his 'employer' is sending the cheque to you or it's coming from a relative who is buying it as a wedding present, or that the booking is on behalf of a 'professor' or celebrity who will require additional spending money while they are on holiday and you will be asked to give them the additional sum (plus generous expenses for your trouble, as a sweetener).
They will keep checking to see if you have received the cheque and the advise you there has been a mistake and can you please refund the balance of the rental in a personal cheque back to the scammer.
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1. Not returning your booking form correctly with full names, addresses, contact details etc. In this case, always send another form to them requesting that it is a condition of accepting their booking that you have this information as verification. 
Always ask for a telephone number - and phone them on it - if it doesn't ring, ask them to repeat the number to you and explain that you always like to have a working phone number in case of emergency. Again - phone it to check that it is legit.
Advise holidaymakers that you will cash their breakages deposit cheque prior to their arrival, only returning it to them when they leave. If they baulk at this it can be an indication that there is a problem.
