by Brittany Monbarren

Too often, when booking a vacation, we gravitate toward booking online because the internet has made it quicker and cheaper to find a vacation rental home. However, is it always the better way to go? According to the Better Business Bureau, scam artists place fake ads online and list vacation rental homes for great deals. They will steal property descriptions and photos from real estate websites or use an address that is not even up for rent to create a fake vacation rental ad.
To ensure that you are safely booking the vacation rental of your dreams and not being scammed, consider these tips:

  • Beware of unusually low rates. The statement, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” goes hand in hand with vacation rentals. Too often, scammers list vacation rentals for super low rates so they can entice many travelers quickly. The first thing you need to do when looking for vacation rentals is to notice the unusually cheap rates. Beware if a listing is half the price of all the other comparable ones in the surrounding area.
  • Research the owner. If you find a vacation rental home that you love and have communicated with the owner via email, it’s essential to do some personal investigation. Always ensure that the information they give you is the same information you find online. It is best to start by searching the owner’s name on a search engine like Google or Yahoo!. You can also visit the local property appraiser’s website or the state’s property database to verify that the person you are working with actually owns the rental property.
  • Look at the online reviews. After researching their personal information, visit the rental property’s online reviews. Beware of questionable reviews. Also, previous renters often include the owner’s name in their reviews. If the names in the review do not match the name of the person you’re working with, that is a warning sign that something isn’t right.
  • Contact the owner via phone. Using the internet may be the easier and faster way to communicate with someone, but chatting with the owner on the telephone can help give you a better range of the rental situation. Scammers often use telephones, too, but talking via phone lets you ask specific questions and listen carefully.
  • Pay by credit card. After you have done all of your research and it’s time to put down the deposit, always use your credit card. If they ask you to pay by wire transfer, it’s a scam. Also, be cautious when paying through sites such as PayPal because if you don’t get what you pay for, you may be unable to get your money back. Credit cards offer extra security if something goes wrong, and you can dispute the transaction with your credit card company.

Before booking your dream vacation rental home, always research and investigate the property and owner. Listen to your gut and never book a property if you have doubts.