“I got scammed”: hotels, classified ads, travel agencies… watch out for rental scams during your vacation

“We still feel a bit like we've been had” Unsplash – Valeriia Bugaiova – Illustration

While vacations are sometimes synonymous with hassle, there is one that can really add a significant dose of stress, it's the rental scam.

Hotels, classified ads, travel agencies: there are many options for finding accommodation, but beware of scams.

Like a feeling of being at home, practical and sometimes less expensive rentals can be an interesting choice. On the other hand, the hotel, optimal comfort for a hassle-free vacation. Unless you have the misfortune of falling for a scam.

“We still have a bit of the feeling of having been had”

Interviewed by TF1 for the 8pm news, two French women who had left for a vacation in Tunisia found themselves, suitcase in hand, in front of their hotel… under construction. The agency that organized their trip relocated them to a “less comfortable building”, according to our colleagues. “We paid a little over 2,500 euros. We still feel a bit like we've been had”, they say.

She pays a deposit of 500 euros

This time in Vendée, a mother rents a villa with a swimming pool on the coast. She paid a deposit of 500 euros but a few days before putting down her bags, she had no more news from the rental company. The ad had disappeared from the website. This mother had been scammed.

So, beware of prices that are too attractive, prefer to contact them by phone, ask for more information if necessary, and don't forget to look at the opinions of other Internet users, as highlighted in an article in the Mag Conso de Ouest-France.