WARNINH!!! Beware of vacation rental scams!!

[Lil Sis]

wow.. I am so upset that I hope I can express the warning in a way that helps others!!

My dh's birthday is in Aug. we (my dd and myself) decided to rent a cottage for a few days/nights in Key West. It is about a 3 hour drive and it would be fun for all of us. So the "hunt" for a place that is nice and affordable.

We started with listing in craigslist. I have used craigslist in the past..

First rental was really cute..so I sent an inquiry to the listing and get a response from "sandra smith" we came to an agrement on dates and price. I asked for an address and said I would be down next week and could I meet her there and pay (my dh had to go down for 1 day for business.. he has a solar energy company and installs solar pool heater etc).. RED FLAG.. she only takes bank transfers!!

Second rental.. you know I don't even remember where I found it but got an answer to my inquiry.. address was given, dates are good, price is doable.. I asked for picture. I had a name and a phone number .. looked up the name ..yes there was a person by that name that lived in the Keys.. good so far. The cell phone number was registered in the keys.. very good. She takes paypal.. very very good. So close!
Then I decided to google the address... found out the property just sold last month and was a 1.5 million dollar property.. hmmm not good. I went back to look at the pictures she sent me... hmmmmm they were the same pictures as posted with the realtor advertisement... really not good. Went to Monron County public records.. the property was owned by a trust ..not her name....really not good
I called paypal and reported her paypal address as a fraud/scam.

I then (very stupid) emailed good ole Sandra Smith and said I would not rent the property.. I felt it was a scam because she only took bank tranfers and karma would deal with her. She emailed me back and said karma was going to kill me and bomb my country! Hmmm.. what do you think she was???

I have decided to rent via a realtor or just get a room at the hyatt

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Oh my goodness! It is a sad world any more. No one can be trusted.

[Carmeow]

Oh my goodness... thank god you looked into it further and didnt lose any money. Just time...and gas I'm so sorry. That is SCARY!! I can't believe some people. Hope PayPal shuts the one woman down so no one gets scammed. And goodness Sandra...that's crazy.

I hope that with the realtor you can find an affordable place and enjoy your DH's birthday...what a sweet surprise!

[sugarmamma]

I would try VRBO, Shinja. I have had very good luck with them.

Can we come along??

[kjc]

Wow! Nice people!

There's a craigslist 'car for sale' scam going on here in Baltimore. People show up at a meeting place with thousands of dollars to make the purchase and they get robbed and sometimes shot!

[ladyjane]

I don't ever look on CL for anything. Too many nutcases out there and I just don't feel like wading through the muck.

[Jacksmom052709]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I don't ever look on CL for anything. Too many nutcases out there and I just don't feel like wading through the muck.

I agree with ladyjane - I would go through a rental agency (real estate agency). Good luck! Or hey, the Hyatt may work too.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I don't ever look on CL for anything. Too many nutcases out there and I just don't feel like wading through the muck.

My sister finds all kind of stuff on CL. I personally never look on it. I have heard too many horror stories. So I just say away.

[OwnedByJezebel]

Vrbo and homeaway.com are both very reliable.

[navillusc]

Yikes!!!

[Joyce Adams]

We always use a realty company and I have heard nothing but good things about VRBO and Homeway.com. It is too easy to get scammed so we have to be very careful...

[gracielove]

How awful. Did "Sandra Smith" have an accent? I guess we have so many illegal people here it would be hard to distinguish. I once worked with a Family Medicine Resident from China who told me how so many people from China get into the country illegally. It's not just a south of the boarder issue. Very sad that people who want us bombed are also making money off of the country they hate so much.

I was reading an article last week about a homeless man who was arrested after renting out a house that was in foreclosure several times. He would meet the people at the empty house and take their large cash deposits then get the rest by bank transfer later. He was finally caught when the woman who purchased the house caught him "showing" the place. He told the police he needed the money to rent a place for himself.

[luvlee]

I'm so sorry this happened to you!!!! Hopefully, you caught onto the scam in time and will recoup any payment. Can you forward the email transaction & the history of the home to the police?? They might be investigate this scam.

Best wishes & I hope you find your vacation rental without any further mishap!

Good luck. Tracey

[YorkieGuru]

Wow.. It's so hard to trust people anymore. But Craigslist is known for scams.

I've used Craigslist once to buy a car for my daughter. Thank goodness that it was a legit ad, but I wish they would have to charge a fee for the ad. That way, alot of these scams wouldn't go on.

[sophias mommy]

That's awful!!! I'm so glad you're being cautious!!