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VACATION RENTALS SCAM WARNING
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Please be aware that scammers, predominately based in Nigeria with ties
to the UK, have been targeting vacation rental owners. When using this website, you
take full responsibility for qualifying potential renters, checking their background
and making sure you don't fall victim to such a scam. We assume no responsibility in
your dealings with rental seekers. So please take the time to understand how this
scam works and prevent it from happening to you.
Scammers will "book" your rental unit by sending you a counterfeit
check, often a cashier's check and often in an amount exceeding the
total agreed upon rental price.
They will then notify you, pointing out the error, that their
"company" or the third party who issued you the check on their behalf,
made a mistake and sent you an amount over the agreed upon price.
They will then urgently plea with you to refund some or all of the money,
mostly via Western Union. Sometimes noting family emergencies. They will call
you and/or email you, their English may be bad and broken and they may say
religious praises like "God Bless" often.
Your bank will cash the check, and they will tell you
it "cleared" and the money was in fact added to your account... So now you are
in a situation where the money was cashed, it's credited to your account and
the person who sent it is irrate and asking for all or some of it refunded.
Eventually, it may take SEVERAL WEEKS.. your bank will determine the check
is fake and fraudulent... and YOU will be held responsible. Your account will
be debited in the amount of the bogus check. You lose that money, plus any
money you may have refunded the person.
So bottom line....
1) You should NEVER accept or cash a check for an amount more than is owed to you.
2) If you do cash a check, never immediately issue a refund to the renter until
after you verify the check is valid, this may take a month or more.
3) If you FEEL pressured or that you are being scammed, you probably are.
Please see the following web page for more information:
http://www.pillowsandpancakes.com/scam-warning.htm
http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com
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