{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"BBB Warning About Vacation Rentals!","description":"A podcast by BBB of the Tri-Counties A BIG thank you to Ayers Automotive Repair in Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast. Welcome to this week\u2019s edition of Your MOment of Trust! BBB Scam Tracker has gotten numerous reports of a clever travel scam this summer vacation season. Con artists pretend to own a vacation rental and insist on being paid directly rather than through the official rental platform. If you book with them, you\u2019ll be out of money and face a potentially ruined vacation. How the scam works: You search a vacation rental site, such as VBRO or Airbnb, for a place to stay on your next trip and find a perfect rental listing. The photos are beautiful, and the price is right. Other times, you discover the rental through a social media post. The scammer may have shared it to a Facebook group, claiming to be renting \u201ctheir\u201d vacation home. Either way, when you message the \u201cowner\u201d about booking, they offer you a deal. If you book with them directly, paying through a digital wallet, such as Venmo or CashApp, instead of the rental platform \u2013 they can give you a discount. You agree and send an initial payment. The scammer may reply with a realistic-looking receipt. But once the scammer receives your money, they stop replying to messages. Unfortunately, the vacation home may be real, but the person you paid to rent it is a scammer. They don\u2019t own the property, and your deposit is in the hands of scammers. One consumer reported this experience: \u201cI booked a long-term rental for June and July on Airbnb through a female host advertised as Amy. I was contacted soon after by a man named Sean over text. He requested a phone call and suggested we go through Venmo instead of Airbnb to avoid fees and to give me a discount\u2026. I decided to cancel to protect myself, but Sean refused to return my 1st-month rent payment of $2,500. I have never been able to speak to Amy and believe he is using this profile as a cover-up to scam people out of money and avoid taxes.\u201d How to avoid online booking scams: \u25cf Do business with reputable websites. Legitimate websites like VRBO and Airbnb have certain policies to protect renters and rental owners. If there\u2019s a problem with your rental, you can open a case, and you may get your money back. If a seller asks you directly to book outside a website, think twice. \u25cf Research the rental property. Do an online search for the owner's name and\/or the property\u2019s address. Look for complaints online, watching for any reports of scams or dishonest behavior. \u25cf Pay with a credit card. Whenever possible, use your credit card to make online purchases. It is easier to dispute fraudulent charges, and you have a better chance of getting your money back if something goes wrong. \u25cf Save any documents related to your purchase. Save copies of your receipt, order confirmation page, shipping information, etc. You may also want to save a copy of the business\u2019 return policy so you know how to proceed if there is a problem with your order or if it doesn\u2019t arrive within the promised timeframe. For more information See BBB\u2019s travel HQ for more tips for planning and booking your next vacation. Read these tips on avoiding hidden travel fees and spotting hotel scams. If you spot a scam while booking travel online, report it at BBB.org\/ScamTracker. Your report can help other consumers spot a scam before it\u2019s too late. Until next time! ","author_name":"Your Moment of Trust","author_url":"http:\/\/yourmomentoftrust.libsyn.com\/website","html":"