In times of the corona pandemic, vacation homes have grown in popularity enormously.
Fraudsters are now taking advantage of this to lure vacationers into the trap.
A beautiful holiday home in an idyllic setting that offers a lot of distance from other people: This is how many imagine their time out in the corona pandemic.
The fact that holiday homes and holiday apartments are becoming more and more popular has not escaped the notice of fraudsters.
They take advantage of the high demand by placing fake ads, as the Lower Saxony consumer association is now warning.
Book a holiday home: This is how fraudsters lure vacationers into the trap
Anyone who searches through well-known online portals such as Airbnb, eBay classifieds or FeWo-direkt when looking for a holiday home should take a close look at the ads.
Criminals try to convince vacationers with unusually low prices and picturesque pictures of the alleged holiday home or apartment.
Upon arrival, however, those affected notice that
the accommodation does not exist or has already been rented to
someone else
.
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Holiday home fraud: How do I recognize dubious advertisements?
According to the Lower Saxony consumer center, there are different signs that could indicate that a holiday home offer is a fake advertisement. For example, vacationers should
pay attention
if they
are supposed to pay
not just a deposit but
the full rental amount directly
- regardless of when the trip actually takes place. In the case of dubious advertisements, the name, address and telephone number of the landlord are often missing. Fraudsters often
only
give
an email address or the contact option via WhatsApp
. In general, you should be careful if the landlord wants to continue communication outside of the booking platform.
Apart from that, according to the consumer advocates, you
should never
make
the rental price or the down payment
outside of the platform
. Those affected should rather forego the offer if
money transfers via Western Union or Money Gram are
proposed. As a rule, they are insecure and an indication that it could be a fraud - the recipient of the payment can be hidden, as the online portal
Travelbook
adds. In general, direct debit or credit card should therefore be used for payments. The money can usually be retrieved here if the offer turns out to be dubious.
In addition, you should rather forego a booking if the
rental property is not specifically described
, according to consumer advocates.
Unrealistically low prices could also indicate that something is wrong.
(fk)
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