VRBO scam - Help and Advice

So sorry to hear that this happened. How terribly awful to lose your vacation money and lodgings.

I think this will be a very hard one to recover any funds from. Home Away never tells people to wire money direct, but if you were new to the process I can see how you could get fooled. Did the listing include reviews? I’m curious about what lengths these scammers went with their phoney listing.

I am so sorry for your family. I wish I could offer more in terms of help.

So sorry for your family, but I agree with Carol that this would be tough to get funds back. I think I have heard of this scam before......can’t remember if it was on this forum or 60 minutes or something.

Allison, I'm so sorry this happened to your mom but I have a feeling there isn't much she can do. Had she paid as recommended on the VRBO/Homeaway website, things would have been different:.

https://help.vrbo.com/articles/How-do-I-pay-securely-for-a-vacation-rental

So, not paying through the VRBO/Homeaway site looks to disqualify her for the "Book with Confidence Guarantee", and they even warn to:

"Avoid the following practices:
Sending cash is not recommended.
Sending a check made out to cash.
Using an instant money transfer such as Western Union or Money Gram.
These payment methods are preferred by criminals. Using them voids any guarantees from us".

This is how they cover themselves should a scammer, like this one, manage to sneak into the site.

Wire transfers are a huge issue. I've been a victim too. I am working with my senators and HoR member to address this issue.

Have they contacted the FBI? They should immediately.

Allison, so sorry your family lost all that money.

This is a contact list from Chris Elliott, maybe your sis can try? to see if she can get some of her money back?
https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/homeaway-com/

On elliott.org, there seems to be quite a few complaints.

https://www.elliott.org/should-i-take-the-case/another-homeaway-phishing-case-prompts-questions-new-fees/
The above is an older article.

https://forum.elliott.org/forums/vacation-rentals.73/
The above lists a lot of complaints about rentals, etc.

Good luck. I hope you and your family will still be able to enjoy your vacation.

So sorry this happened. It is a scam and not one that is unknown to VRBO, HomeAway or customer advocacy agencies.
There was a long thread discussing articles about this on this forum in May but I cannot find it. Sorry, but the RS search engine is terrible. No way to sort 2000 results by date or anything logical.
Maybe someone else can direct you to it as the article may offer some resolution.
Alternatively, you can review the posts on Elliott Advocacy to see if there is any recourse. Or co tact them for assistance.
I am not sure whether travel insurance covers so ething like this, but worth checking the policy, if they bought it.
I know it doesn't help now, but before using a new service, you need to read the help pages and all terms and conditions. VRBO has an entire page on how to avoid scams. I use AirBnB and finally read all the dry pages of how it works, what the host responsibilities are, a bunch of the legalize. It was enlightening and reenforced the reasons I like their payment model, and how they protect the host or renter. All payments are handled the same. All damage deposits are handled the same. I think where it gets harder to sift through VRBO is that they let the owners set a variety of terms, so harder to know what is legit.
Good luck.

There was a long thread discussing articles about this on this forum in May but I cannot find it.

This is not the one, but it involves HomeAway * see convo below for update

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/homeaway-scam

another article popped up

https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/is-there-a-way-to-determine-if-this-property-is-legit-1665102/

Thanks Girasole. That's the one.

Oh good Maria. I wasn't sure, since the month was a little different - by one month, lol.

On another note, I have been reading about "Mike Walsh" and his terrible saga about getting scammed but then eventually having a happy ending and getting refunded.

A user, named Whitehall, was very instrumental in helping Mike Walsh identify the scam and get his money back.

Got to be very leery in renting from HomeAway and VRBO and Expedia. All three are connected.

I was guessing on the month :-)
However, I figured with other posters feeding the thread we could find it and try to offer something.

AirBnB is not failsafe either despite what other posters have said. It's a crapshoot renting a vacation rental and again I'm sorry this happened to your mother and I've read many similar stories in the British press about vacation villas. I would write to the FBI but I don't know how much they will help.

Unfortunately, there might not be a lot that can be done. HA will argue that your mother didn't follow the directions by contacting the owner directly and by wiring money to them. I would keep bugging HomeAway for some compensation and to see that the rental notice is taken off the site. Just be aware that the chances of getting most of her money back are slim to none.

A huge, heartfelt thanks to all who have written here. Girasole, thank you for the link; I passed it on to my mom and sister. And also thanks for finding the article that Maria mentioned. I actually also read that thread - what a crazy ride that was! In this case, it appears the scammer hacked into someone's account and then posted the fake listing, which has since been removed -so they say. It will be interesting to see if it pops back up. I agree that it's unlikely that my sister will get her money back, but she'll keep trying. In an interesting twist, the scammer is STILL contacting her! I guess they had corresponded over text messaging. He's been acting like everything is fine, asking about time of arrival and how many keys she'll need - Oh, and can I help you to rent a car?

Again, thanks so very much for everyone's help and kind words. If by some miracle she DOES get some or all of her money back, I'll be sure to let you all know.

Have they contacted the FBI? They should immediately.

I'm pretty sure they have other concerns to occupy themselves with!

So sorry this happened. Hopefully she has contacted her bank to let them know what happened. Once a wire is sent it is almost impossible for a bank to get that back.
If your sister is receiving text from the scammer she should ask for her money back and let the scammer know she is contacting the FBI and will not stop until she gets her money back. I know of a case were a person was able to get a portion of his money back with this method (hundreds of thousands of dollars). She should also file a claim with IC3, being that this was an internet crime.
I have booked many apartments with both VRBO and AirBNB and had to really research all the red flags to look for before I did and it turned out well. I would be devastated if I got scammed like this, what a horrible start to an anticipated vacation! I feel for your sis.

@JC:

I'm pretty sure they have other concerns to occupy themselves with!

I'm kind of shocked at your comment, JC. This is not a joke.

The FBI MUST be informed. This kind of thing happens more and more. This is wire fraud. It is a felony, and it is destroying the international banking system.

There are all kinds of criminals out there. The wire fraud system is particularly vulnerable since it is equivalent to simply giving another person in an unknown place large piles of money. As I noted, I have been victimized by this.

DO NOT IGNORE MY ADVICE. INFORM THE FBI.

There is an online form:

www.ic3.gov

This is not a joke. Notify the FBI, and fill out the IC3 form.

Glad Paul came back and re-emphasized what steps to take. As a fellow victim he knows what he’s talking about whereas the rest of us can only offer sympathy and hindsight.

@Paul, could you give more info, why is that website the first step, etc.

Girasole, thank you for the link; I passed it on to my mom and sister. And also thanks for finding the article that Maria mentioned.

You are very welcome, Allison!

I really hope "a miracle" occurs in your family's favor. As you can see, this type of scamming and conning has been going on for a long time. It is so deplorable that people can steal hard-working people's money!

Because if you call the FBI, they are gonna direct you to IC3. It's the first step because you document the entire situation.

Wire fraud is not a joke. Many people have lost a lot of money due to this fraud. I won't tell you my situation, but you would be unhappy if you were in my position.

In my situation, I have strong doubts that I will see the money again. Certain remedies are being pursued, again with an uncertain prediction of success. But WE MUST STOP THIS KIND OF FRAUD. And the ONLY way to do that is getting law enforcement into the situation.

One other point: Time is important. It's not clear when this happened. But reporting things QUICKLY can improve the chances of recovery.

I'm wondering why a scammer would continue contact. That makes them vulnerable to being caught via IP address. Yet, for a scam, it seems sophisticated, so that leaves me puzzled.
Is it possible that 2 things happened? What if someone wrote down the address wrong (thus the dentist office) AND the folks were trying to avoid the VRBO fees, and thus the direct communication and wire transfer? That is a possible explanation.
Why not text them and ask why it looks like they are a dentist office, and see what they say? You've got nothing to lose and a 2% chance that you truly paid for a real apartment.

How can the FBI do anything if the scammers live in say in some
Developing country that doesn’t give a hoot about the laws in the rest of the world .

That money could be in Pakistan or Peru right now

Allison,

This is an unfortunate and probably expensive lesson for your Mom. Hopefully she has enough funds available to salvage the holiday, and still have a wonderful time.

As others have suggested, it would be worthwhile to report this to the FBI, although they may not have much success in apprehending those behind this scam. They may be located somewhere in eastern Europe or even Nigeria, so if that's the case prosecution will be next to impossible.

This type of scam seems to occur on a fairly regular basis with one of the vacation rental firms. If your Mom is planning any future trips, she might consider using a reliable hotel, perhaps one listed in the guidebook.

Is it possible that 2 things happened? What if someone wrote down the address wrong (thus the dentist office) AND the folks were trying to avoid the VRBO fees, and thus the direct communication and wire transfer? That is a possible explanation.
Why not text them and ask why it looks like they are a dentist office, and see what they say? You've got nothing to lose and a 2% chance that you truly paid for a real apartment.

Shoe,

Your suggestion is a very good one. It would be a miracle if it could happen as you wrote - A minut chance.

Still, as it has been shown here on the forum and other forums, this kind of blind stealing happens a lot - a false listing showing false pictures, lies about the owner being unavailable, shoddy
or no communications in most cases, and the 'Grand slam" - a request for a money transfer - with some lame excuse or an enticement of a discount.

Also, these thieves are very good at what they do, and they also switch IP addresses often.

As Paul of the Frozen North mentioned, this is a very very serious crime and there are not enough experts to catch these criminals. They are savvy and "pack up and move along" to the next Target

The FBI is not there to get the money back. I had this explained VERY CLEARLY by the FBI agent on my case. They actually are not helping me.

The FBI is there to catch evil criminals and stop them from committing more crimes. If you get your money back, that is a bonus, They want to catch and jail the criminals, if possible. In addition, they are trying to find how this happened.

Was this a scam from the beginning? In our case, we responded to a fake internet ad for CDs which was put out there. The FBI is looking for those.

They want to understand the patterns of crime. And if they can catch and jail criminals, that is good.

File the IC3 report. Help stop this from harming others. Get something good out of this dreadful situation.

Paul, as a former police officer I can assure you that the same scams are experienced in the UK as well. Despite the request by the authorities for victims to notify them I know only too well how many of those reports go uninvestigated, there are simply too many of them. The law enforcement authorities are already snowed under with terrorism and online child abuse investigations, they just don't have the resources to investigate many of these fraud cases particularly when it's highly likely that the perpertrators are operating from an area well out of their jurisdiction.

The FBI may be better resourced than the NCA but they still have restrictions.

@JC: I have had a number of conversations with the FBI about my situation, and he has helped me in developing a reasonable expectation about the outcome. I am also hiring a lawyer, I think. It will depend on whether I must pay out of pocket or can do it as a % of the final recovery.

Sorry, I’ve been following the comments but haven’t had the chance to respond. Paul, I am so sorry that happened to you. Thank you for the link to the FBI form; I forwarded it to my sister. Our best guess as to why the scammer was still in contact is that he was going to try to get her to rent a car from him, to get more money. I guess we’ll find out if this was all a big misunderstanding in a few weeks if he contacts her again asking where she is! While this has put a damper on things, they are still going to London. I haven’t heard any other updates, but will come back should anything be resolved

Again, thanks to all who responded here!

One real problem in this entire area is that there is very little guidance for the victim as to what to do. I don't know how common wire fraud is, but I suspect that it is common.

@Allison: How recently has she been contacted? If there is a continued dialogue, and the CERTAINTY of fraud is confirmed, then the police might be able to use the "active communications" to identify this person. However, to avoid spooking them, it might be good to contact the FBI.

It doesn't hurt to contact the FBI or even if Allison can do some of her own investigating for her sister.

The more complaints, the more it shows a great need for hiring more Cyber Crime experts at the FBI.

It is nice that Allison shared her (sister's and mom's) story to get some advice and forewarn others to be extra careful when renting from "private owners."

It appears her sis and mom are moving ahead with their travel plans. You never know, Allison may get some luck and get a resolution.

So awful...I'm so sorry. These people are so good at making people trust them and always have a perfectly plausible reason that you should conduct business outside of the platform the listing is on.
The lesson here is that whenever you are booking any kind of accommodation on Airbnb, VRBO, Homeexchange, Homeaway, or any other 3rd party / sharing economy website, you have to keep all business conducted within the platform the listing is on. If a property owner ever contacts me outside of the platform's messaging system I respond to them within the platform and I let them know that is the only place I will go to conduct business or communicate with them. All money should be paid within the platform and all agreements outlined should be done within the system as well. That way you will be covered should something go wrong.

[Anita}: ...you have to keep all business conducted within the platform the listing is on.

While I haven't used these "shared economy" platforms, Anita's advice is sound. Looking into VRBO/HomeAway's payment methods, it looks like they typically use credit card transactions. The combination of using the platform and transacting with a credit card gives you two avenues of recourse. First, there is the intermediary business and then for US residents, there is the Fair Credit Credit act that protects against fraudulent charges.

Take care if "property owners" give you a discount for cash and/or bypassing the intermediary. And be especially cautious with wire transfers to persons you don't know or have had prior business relations.

As an aside, sending money directly to the owner is the way VRBO/Homeaway operated for ages. It’s only with the Airbnb model now dominating that they have changed their ways. Even 5 years ago VRBO/Homeaway were basically just a Craigslist type thing where owners paid for an advertisement but the money changed hands privately. I can think of 4 VRBO/Homeaway rentals where I sent money directly to the owners for the full amount, and many others (at least 8) where I sent a deposit then paid the balance in cash on arrival. It’s Airbnb that changed the whole business by setting up an escrow system where funds are confirmed but withheld till arrival.

Note: by sending funds privately, I’m talking about personal check made out to the owner, credit card, or Paypal.

I'm going to be late with this comment, but their is a bit of a difference between the OP's mother's case and that outlined above from Fodor's. In the latter, the renter had acted entirely the HomeAway website, paying Homeaway through normal channels. When he couldn't find the property om Google Maps satellite view (he knew a rough location and the images showed a very distinctive swimming pool), he became worried and contacted the company.

Despite people successfully identifying the "Italian Villa" as being on a Spanish Island, Homeaway refused to believe it was a scam and effectively fobbed the renter off for weeks.

Allison, I am sorry for your mom's predicament - but realistically, once she went outside the T&Cs of the rental company, she lost her money.

UPDATE:

By some miracle, my sister got her money back. When she checked her bank account today, the money was back in it. Best guess is the bank was able to get it back before the wire was complete or currency exchange was made. As far as I know, she has had no contact with the scammer in almost a week, but I will be sure to remind her to be on the look-out for anything suspicious for the near future. Again, thanks to all who replied here.

Wow! That is great news, and I am happy for your folks!

Yeah! Now, do they have somewhere else to stay? Maybe ask HomeAway to help?

Allison, That is wonderful news! Have your sister make sure it is not "provisional" credit and is able to be used without fear of it possibly being reversed. Some banks work really hard for their customers and are able to get the funds back.