Never before has there been so much fraud with fake holiday accommodations on the Internet as there is now. What holidaymakers should pay attention to when booking a holiday home.
Frankfurt – It happens more and more often: The long-awaited holiday is finally here, you are standing in front of the door of the holiday home with packed things, which looks just as beautiful as in the photos on the Internet. But on the spot you have to realize: It was all a scam. The booking was not genuine. All of a sudden, you find yourself without accommodation in a holiday paradise. If the trip went abroad, it is not so easy to go back home. For popular destinations in Germany, this would be an option – but the holiday is still hailed.
Never before has there been so much fraud with fake vacation rentals on the Internet as in 2023, explains the Association of German Holiday Home Agencies (VDFA). The main season is yet to come. "It's desperate," explains VDFA Managing Director Monika Kowalewski on the website. "The number of fraudulent domains is increasing day by day."
Never before so much fraud with false offers for holiday homes on the Internet as in 2023
Many people are financially struggling due to inflation, but still want to treat themselves on vacation. If you come across a holiday bargain while searching, you will be particularly pleased. But, be careful: "If you're crazy about saving a lot of money, you'll quickly become a victim," says Michael Krausch of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Office of Criminal Investigation in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
Avoid scams with holiday homes: this is what you should pay attention to. © Panthermedia/IMAGO
Scams with fake holiday accommodations – cheap "bargains" that don't even exist
For offers that seem extremely cheap at first glance, all alarm bells should ring – otherwise it can end up being quite expensive. Often the websites are wrong, the pictures of the beautiful house by the sea are simply brazenly copied from other providers and passed off as their own on quickly assembled websites. In doing so, the fraudsters often even take over the addresses of the actual holiday homes in order to feign authenticity.
This scam is the classic, explains Dr. Matthias Böse, specialist lawyer for travel law, in an interview with Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). As a consumer, you then have the trouble – and the disadvantage. This is because there is no entitlement to accommodation or repayment of the money if you have booked with private providers who turn out to be "fake".
Avoid fraud with holiday homes: Be careful with prepayment
Consumers should therefore pay attention to a few things before booking. Basically, you should not pay in advance with a large amount. Usually, a maximum of 20 percent of the total price should be paid and the rest should be transferred at the earliest 30 days before the start of the trip.
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The total price should certainly not be paid in advance. However, fraudsters often demand this – often via transfer services such as Western Union or Moneygram. Or they ask for a transfer to a foreign account, even if the holiday home is in Germany. Here you should be suspicious and rather refrain from booking. By the way, one way to go on a cheap holiday is house sitting.
Recognizing fraudulent offers for holiday homes - pay attention to the imprint and contact details
According to the VDFA, when booking, you should pay particular attention to whether the size of the offer and the price asked are realistic. If it's too low – hands off! The same applies if the website does not have an imprint. If one is available, you should check whether a registered office and a tax number are indicated.
If a telephone number is also provided, you could contact the landlord personally. If there is no contact, it is better to book something elsewhere. In addition, you should thoroughly research in advance whether the house really exists, for example via an address data check.
Attention fraud: Availability calendar of the holiday home is permanently free
Fake offers often only appear in Google ads, but not when you search for them. Here, the fraudsters have bought an ad space – you can recognize them by the word "sponsored". But that doesn't mean that the offer really exists. It is also noticeable when everything is marked as free throughout the occupancy calendar. This is extremely unlikely in the high season.
Booking via platforms does not always protect against fraud, but is much safer
If you book via a well-known booking platform, you are much better protected in many cases. But here, too, fraud can occur, explains specialist lawyer Böse to WDR. The offers on the platform have not always been verified. Here you should pay attention to whether the accommodation offered already has reviews.
As a matter of principle, you should not get involved in attempts by the landlord to complete the booking outside the platform. To have a nice holiday, you don't necessarily have to go away. There are also many beautiful opportunities for holidays at home, for example stand-up paddling on the Main or a view of a real coral reef in the museum.