Vacation Rental Scam
Fake vacation rentals collect deposits for properties scammers don't own. Victims arrive to find no rental.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠Price significantly below comparable rentals
- ⚠Asks to communicate off-platform
- ⚠Payment via wire/Zelle/crypto
- ⚠Refuses established booking platforms
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →BOOK through Airbnb/VRBO with protection
- →VERIFY address exists
- →REVERSE IMAGE SEARCH photos
- →PAY through platform only
More Details
- “Beautiful beachfront, 50% below market”
- “Owner direct - avoid booking fees!”
- “Send deposit to secure dates”
- “Will send door code after payment”
Common Questions
Red flags: price way below market, landlord overseas/can't show property, payment before viewing, wire/gift cards required.
High risk. Scammers copy real listings at lower prices. Never pay without seeing property in person and meeting landlord.
Hackers intercept closing emails and send fake wire instructions. Buyers wire down payments to criminals. Always verify by phone.
Search county property records. Meet in person. Never pay before viewing. Verify ID matches records.
Report This Scam
If you've encountered this scam, report it to help protect others.
Warn Someone You Know
Know someone who might fall for this? Share this warning with them.
Related Scams
Fake Rental Listing Scam
Scammers create fake apartment listings with stolen photos, collect deposits for properties they don't own. FBI IC3: 9,359 complaints, $174M losses in 2024.
Facebook Marketplace Payment Scam
Scammers use fake payments, overpayment schemes, or shipping fraud on Marketplace. Cash and local meetup is safest.
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73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)