Alex Trelinski
THE POLICIA NACIONAL has issued a scam warning to tourists ahead of the summer season looking to book vacation homes in Spain.
There have been many instances in recent years of bookings via websites with customers handing over deposits or even the full amount to a fraudster.
They arrive at their holiday address to discover they had been conned with the home not available for rental plus being hundreds of euros out of pocket.
The police say that some of the most frauds perpetrated on online bookers include requests for payments through bank transfers, using fake ads, phone calls or cloned web pages
Some scammers even claim to be abroad and that they don’t live nearby, thus demanding an international money transfer.
In some cases they add a veneer of professionalism by asking for a copy of the user’s ID before even making the reservation.
Another indication that the renter could be a fraudster is that he or she appears to be in a hurry to close a deal and asks for a deposit or total payment in advance.
Other warning signs of a scam include being redirected to other websites and very low prices for accommodation coupled with high deposits.
The police recommend that you should only finalise bookings, payments and communications on prominent well-known websites and platforms.
Anybody who asks a client to leave the a website and to go elsewhere to complete a booking along with a demand for money is asked to contact the police.
READ MORE:
- ‘Rent Scam’ gang that targeted tourists all across Spain with adverts tricking them into paying deposits busted
- Spain’s Civil Guard busts gang scamming holidaymakers with adverts that were too good to be true
- Holiday property rental scam exposed in Mar Menor area of Spain
- Scammers rented out non-existent homes in Costa Blanca and Murcia areas of Spain
