Vacation Rental Scammers
January 19th, 2008
On July 19th 2007, I was tipped off by a member on the free-rentals.com of a scam, here is the message I got:
“Message: I checked the web site to see about possibly listing my NYC vacation rentals on your site. I believe that 2 of your listings are scams. The listing at 153 W 57th St lifted some phrases from my ads and some from other ads. There are no Golf courses in Manhattan. I do not believe there are any private outdoor pools in apartments, and a lot of other clues that this is a scam. The listing at 128 W 58th Street has a photo that was used in other scams that I am aware of and the name Thruman has been used in other scams. There are a lot of other clues that tell me that it is a scam. If you wish to contact me you can reach me at 212-xxx-xxxx. I am 80% booked for the year and not trying to get rid of competition. I am trying to clean up the industry to make it better for all of the honest VR owners.”
Before deleting the scam listings, I inquired on of f the properties to see how the scam works… here is how.
Basically the scammers make up a phoney rental listing. For whatever reason, at least on the Free-Rentals.com website, they’ve been targeting the New York City Area. And the scammer users very simple addresses, and only uses 5 photos, of a plush looking apartment. All the pictures and details and directions and address are fake… all made up.
The scammers then gets the renter interested to rent the property, then seeks a security deposit by paypal, check or wire transfer.
The unfortunate victim, the renter, pays a security deposit, then shows up in New York, but there’s no such place available for rent… it was all made up. Meanwhile, the scammer keeps the security deposit.
Be aware of such scams, and if you suspect one on Free-Rentals.com, Please notify us ASAP.