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Yes, this can happen to somebody who is in the business, and who travels all the time.
Seth Kugel, the New York Times' Frugal Traveler, writes this week about his experience getting ripped off while attempting to rent a London apartment via Craigslist. How did it happen? Much to his credit, Kugel admits that he just plain did some stupid things -- starting with using Craigslist, which is the Internet's unregulated Wild, Wild West, where scams abound.
After finding an apartment at what seemed to be a fantastic price, he contacted the agent, who demanded that Kugel wire money to the owner's British bank account. Neither a credit card nor PayPal would be accepted. Kugel had made many such payments while living in Brazil, and so he agreed.
Days before heading to London, however, Kugel received a message from the apartment agent, stating that he'd been arrested and that the flat was shuttered because the landlord hadn't paid taxes. The agent said he would try to get Kugel a refund, which of course never came.
It was all a scam.
How could Kugel have avoided getting ripped off? After going through the experience, and after doing plenty of research to find out what happened, Kugel himself is a great source of information, laying out a series of tips including:
Use reputable and tested sites.
Ones linked to at visitlondon.com, for example, not rental agents found randomly via Craigslist.
Check for previous scams. Search Web sites like Scamwarners.com, Fraudwatchers.org, Scam.com and 419legal.org, to see if people have reported similar scams.
And here's the biggie, absolutely critical tip:
Always use a credit card. Credit cards will usually refund your money if something goes wrong. As the Craigslist scam information page (which I wish they forced you to read before clicking on an ad) notes: "NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM, or any other wire service—anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer."
Now Kugel knows—and so should you.
MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL:
Trip Coach: Vacation Rentals
Can You Spot the Travel Rip-off?
Are Vacation Rentals Still Legit?
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The most common question I get is "how do I find a reliable apartment in Paris or Italy". My response is that it is always imperative that you rent an apartment from an individual or agency that comes recommended from someone you personally know who has rented from that individual or agency.
Posted By Steve From TravelingProfessor.com on January 28, 2011, 5:26 PM
Paying with other method that not a credit card is not automatically a scam indicator. A couple of years ago we rented a place in Italy through the very reputable Villas and Apartments Abroad. Inthat situation they asked the payment to be wire transferred. So, the problem is not how to pay but to whom.
Posted By Jax on January 31, 2011, 5:42 PM
Hallo an alle! Diese Website ist fantastisch und ich bin sicher, dass ich wieder hier zu sein.
Posted By wypadek podczas pracy on March 6, 2012, 4:23 PM
Es ist unglaublich. Ich war für die Website wie diese für eine lange Zeit gesucht und ich endlich gefunden!
Posted By wypadek w pracy on March 6, 2012, 6:46 PM
Hey, I had this page in my bookmarks for some reason, I must have bookedmarked ya' late at night or something...... I'm going thru all my bookmarked blogs/forums etc and facebook etc to make sure others dont get scammed by the same sites i was scammed by.... ive paid for a service and for over a week and a half i havent heard a word!!! my chances of a refund???? arghhh this is why the internet is SUCH A GREAT TOOL cos you can spread a message to people from all walks of life..... please dont go to their URL you will only increase their traffic & alexa ranking lol..
Posted By James parker (FRAUDULENT CON ARTISTS!) on May 18, 2012, 8:19 PM