There are several possible variants of the scam:

  • the property offered for rent does not exist;
  • impersonating the property owner and fraudulently renting out accommodation on online sales portals;
  • creating a website deceptively similar to that of an operating hotel, guesthouse or other facility;
  • obtaining data or funds from the owner of the rented property using social media or sales portals (e.g. payment of a deposit by accepting a credit card).

We warn you to exercise increased caution when verifying offers to rent cottages, apartments and guesthouses, as well as potential people interested in renting who may be scammers.

As every year at this time, advertisements may appear tempting people with exceptional prices, an excellent location, enticing photos of interiors or the most attractive views. Initially, contact with the person offering the rental may proceed correctly; however, problems with communication may arise after the deposit has been paid. This should be an additional signal to verify the offer again and avoid exposing yourself to additional travel-related costs.

There may also be a scenario in which the scammer reverses the situation and defrauds the person offering the rental (the facility owner), for example through sales portals. Contacting them about the rental outside the official channel, e.g. via WhatsApp, the scammer will want to settle the deposit. For this purpose, they will provide the person offering the rental with a link which they will use to obtain the person’s online banking login details or payment card data, which may ultimately result in emptying the victim’s account.

What to pay particular attention to:

  • the attractiveness of the advertisement versus its price;
  • the location of the place using cameras and programs that enable viewing the surrounding area;
  • reading the opinions of other interested parties, especially the negative ones;
  • using only official communication channels on sales portals;
  • never provide confidential information such as your password, PIN codes, authorization codes or payment card number to potential guests interested in renting the property.

FinCERT.pl – ZBP Banking Cybersecurity Centre – Financial Sector Information Exchange and Analysis Centre Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime Police Headquarters FinCERT.pl – ZBP Banking Cybersecurity Centre – Financial Sector Information Exchange and Analysis Centre
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