VR Fraud - Professional Managers to the Rescue

By John Suzuki, VP Sales

Help the consumer beware!

A scam involving a woman posting vacation rentals on Craigslist was reported in Oregon. She did all of the right things: Advertised the vacation homes, took phone calls for reservations, built web sites with pictures of the homes on them, and even collected the guests' money. There was only one problem: She was a fraud. Dozens of guests were bilked out of their hard earned money, then she skipped town just ahead of the authorities.

Betsy LaBarge, owner of Mt. Hood Vacation Rentals, wrote an article on her blog - Important Tips When Renting a Vacation Home - and was gracious enough to let us share it with you. This is yet another classic example of why renting from a reputable professional vacation rental manager is so important, and why this message needs to be communicated to your prospective guests.

And if you're ever looking for a spectacular vacation in the mountains of Oregon, give Betsy a call (http://www.mthoodrentals.com)! She's definitely someone you can count on!!

Comments

[Jennifer]

This happened to us (www.beachfrontonly.com)! Someone copied one of our advertisements on Homeaway, and proceeded to collect money via wire-transfer from a woman attempting to make a reservation. Somehow the woman was able to contact us, we realized what was going on, and reported to the police. All renters need to be careful when they book and never ever wire money!

[Schofields]

Hi John,

Unfortunately these scams do exist, even on holiday rental portals as reported recently by the times in the UK.

“This is yet another classic example of why renting from a reputable professional vacation rental manager is so important, and why this message needs to be communicated to your prospective guests.”

Totally agree. Renters should do background checks on properties and holiday home owners should show proof that they can be trusted and are established.