whartonpirana

I booked the property in Jay Peak through VRBO. Owner sent me very legit looking form and asked to do wire transfer saying that he is just relocated to UK. There was real address and real account number at Barklay. I was a bit hesitant to do it but stupid me!!! still did the transfer. Today I received email from VRBO saying that owner's email was compromised and hthat I need to contact them ASAP. I sent email- no answer. I call my bank alarmed them.I rented private home several times and in different countries and this is a first time I got scammed. Any advise wom I need to contact and if there is any chance to get money back. Please help. Thank you. Still very very angry......

suewoo

Where are you? Where was the rental?

NewbE

A wire transfer is like cash, so I'm afraid the money is gone. Have you spoken to VRBO about it? I would also contact the police department in the town where the property is located, and the state attorney general's office to file complaints, although I must tell you they are unlikely to lead anywhere if the scammer is actually in the UK, and even if he's not.

whartonpirana

Still fuming..I will contact police dept at Jay Peak, VT
It is hard to get to VRBO, but I will get to hem as well. Someone has to take responsibility.

nyer

I hate to hear stories like this. Travel is supposed to be a relief, not create burdens

"Someone has to take responsibility."
Sadly, it is probably you, the renter, according to VRBOs disclaimer. If you want fraud protection or insurance, you have to pay for it separately
http://www.vrbo.com/global/termsandconditions.htm

nytraveler

What happened is not clear.

Were you scammed by the owner of the property? Or was the owner's email compromised - and you were scammed by completely different people in the UK?

If the former - and you sent the money to the real owner in VT - then you should be able to take them to small claims court to get it back.

If the latter - then the people with your money are in the UK and probably unreachable (and the people in VT are not responsible.)

In any case, VRBO should remove the listing - since obviously there is some sort of problem.

suze

VRBO is merely a place people place listings, they have no responsibility for what happens, is my understanding.

Dukey1

If the sole purpose for the listing was to scam someone then I'm sure they would remove it.

LindainOhio

I am so sorry for your loss and I would try to do what the above posters have suggested.

I checked this listing and there is a phone number for the listing agent and they also accept the secure Home Away payments and credit cards. That makes those payments very safe. Have you called the listing agent?

It looks to me like the owner's contacts were stolen along with his email address. I hope VRBO is looking into that. It should be a heads up for all of us who have used VRBO for many years.

Good luck.

LindainOhio

I also see that on the VRBO site, you can protect yourself from internet fraud by purchasing their insurance.

We actually have purchased insurance on properties we rented that had steep cancellation penalties. This sounds like an even better idea now

bardo1

Yes, contact VRBO and suggest they remove the listing.

Do not bother seeking redress from VRBO however. As mentioned above, it is simply a listing service.

You wouldn't seek redress from your local newspaper because a car you bought from someone who listed it in their classified ads turned out to be a lemon, no?

NeoPatrick

Wire transfer should have been your first clue. There is a reason for things like PayPal and credit cards. I will not rent from anyone who requires a wire transfer.

But still I am very sorry this happened to you, even though I am also unclear as to who scammed you.

WhereAreWe

Like Linda said, the page for this listing shows that they accept PayPal and credit cards, and they mention the security of the HomeAway payment method. Plus they suggest contacting the owner directly and list a phone number.

I guess I'm surprised people still would do a wire transfer to another country given all the publicized scams. Why would an owner request that rather than just accept a credit card or PayPal?

If someone hacked into their email account and sent out emails asking for money, then I would think your only option is to contact the bank that you wired the money to, and inquire with them what you can do. Perhaps they can advise you who to contact beyond that, but it seems pretty clear VRBO and the owner are not responsible for a hacked email account.

sf7307

VRBO is not responsible for fraud committed by a third party, and neither is the bank - that's why credit cards are the better option, because you have legal protection against fraud.

socialworker

I know of a very similar instance in Boston, not sure if VRBO, don't think so.....these are apartments that are advertised by someone as being available to travelers as alternates to hotels. IT IS A SCAM. It is not perpetrated by anyone having anything to do with the actual units, but someone who has managed to hijack photos and "market" the places as if he were a person authorized to do so.

NEVER SEND A WIRE TRANSFER to anyone, anywhere. That is mailing cash and you have no recourse. The person I know of lost only a $200 deposit that way. It could have been much more. Luckily he went to check on the property and the doorman told him of the fraud. He was lucky as he was only looking to book out of town relatives. Doorman told him of other foreign travelers arriving w/suitcases only to discover what had been done to them.