Marie France Daoust says her vacation group became "very stressed" when they realized they hadn't actually rented a house
View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.
People are shelling out thousands of dollars to visit South Florida and rent homes for their stay. But some tourists aren't paying the homeowner. They are paying scammers.
People are shelling out thousands of dollars to visit South Florida and rent homes for their stay. But some tourists aren't paying the homeowner. They are paying scammers.
On Monday, two friends relaxed in the backyard of a rented Fort Lauderdale home, but getting there with six other friends and family wasn't easy. This is actually the second vacation home they found.
The first one belonged to Stephen Chase -- but he didn't know it was on the rental market.
Chase said, "She had mentioned to me that, 'We're here to rent your house,' and I said, 'This house is not for rent.'"
Chase's home was listed as a rental online -- not by him, but by a scammer. Now, when so-called renters show up at his door with luggage, he has to deliver bad news.
"We realized that we didn't have a house and we were very stressed," Marie France Daoust said.
Daoust was out nearly $3,000. From her home in Quebec, she sent who she thought was the property owner in Oklahoma a personal check.
She did not wire the money. Fort Lauderdale Police Detective Travis Mandell said that is why her case is rare and how she was able to get every penny back.
"At least, if you get taken in a scam, you're able to track down where the money went," Mandell said.
With the vacation already planned and eight plane tickets already paid for, the group of women said they went offline and called a real estate agent.
The second time around was a success, but Daoust and her friends are still upset about what happened. They think websites, like Villa4Vacation.com, should do more to protect people like her. Her warning to other renters is to be careful.
"It's hurtful," Daoust said. "We work hard all year for this money and we are all happy to have this vacation to relax."
Fort Lauderdale Police say if you are looking to rent a property online, do basic research like contacting the property owner directly, checking websites and the Better Business Bureau for reviews, and looking up the property on the appraisers’ website.
To be safe, use a real estate agent, and never wire money to a stranger.
No comments:
Post a Comment