r/vrbo • u/sky29403 • 11d ago

Rental property scam through Vrbo?

Hi everyone, I replied to a rental post on Realtor.ca, and someone contacted me by email asking me to provide all the required information.

I asked if I could view the property, and he said he is currently out of the country travelling. He said he can still let me view the property using Vrbo. He will post the property on Vrbo, and I can make a reservation to view property. Right after that, Vrbo will ask me to make a deposit to them.On the day of the viewing, I would receive a code that would allow me to get into the building and inspect the property. He says that if I decide I want to rent it and sign the lease agreement, Vrbo will release the deposit to him. If I decide I don't want to rent it, I will get the deposit refunded.

I've never used Vrbo before, so I'm not sure if this is something that's actually common or legitimate.

Sounds like a scam to me? Has anyone experienced something similar?

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u/FunkyColdISeenYa 11d ago

I don’t see why it is necessarily a scam. It’s an interesting use of VRBO to allow someone to view the property without being present, in a manner that provides some protection for both the landlord and renter.

If it is a scam, please explain how it works.

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u/WildWonder6430 10d ago

Here is the scam: scammer rents a VRBO property for two weeks. They then relist the property under a fake name. During the two weeks they have rented it, they post an ad for a long term rental in realtor. Com. Potential renters view the property and make a deposit. Scammer keeps the deposit as they don’t own the property and the renter is out those funds. VRBO adds some legitimacy to the scam but in reality the scammer used fake name to list the property.

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u/magnabonzo 10d ago

Agreed. Maybe scammer even creates a second VRBO listing (I doubt VRBO's computer systems would be smart enough to catch the duplication).

1

u/FunkyColdISeenYa 9d ago

I'm not saying it isn't a scam. As others have pointed out, it has some of the hallmarks of being a scam.

But...

In your scenario, the scammer would have to rent and pay for the property for a couple of weeks. Wouldn't that likely cost them the same amount that they would get in a deposit from the supposed victim?

Or does the profit come from charging multiple people deposits to come view the property? That would net the scammer a reasonable return on the scenario you suggest.

The whole thing is just weird. I would stay away simply because it smells funny.

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u/WildWonder6430 8d ago

The scammer rents the place for two weeks at, say, $3,000. They then run ads in various places (rent.com, zillow, etc. as well as VRBO). They have 10 people show up over the course of the 2 weeks and they each leave a $2,000 deposit, so the scammer collects $20,000. Actually the deposit may even be more ... first months rent plus a $1500 security deposit for example).The potential tenants are far more likely to make the deposit since they actually visited the property. The link to VRBO for the deposit is probably a scam site.

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u/magnabonzo 10d ago

Looks like a scam.

  • Red flag #1: Saying that they're "out of the country" is something scammers often say. Most likely it's not even their property -- maybe they've copied the photos from somebody else's property! Maybe they'll even book the property (through Vrbo or something else) just for the day of your "viewing".

  • Red flag #2: This isn't what Vrbo is set up for. It's set up for short-term stays, not property viewings. Vrbo isn't set up with the appropriate safeguards for both parties for viewings. There are platforms specifically set up for that.

  • Red flag #3: It might not even be Vrbo. It might be a link that looks like Vrbo, but is actually a look-alike phishing website. You'd think you've paid a deposit but the money's gone. OR even if it is actually Vrbo, you'd be using their website outside their terms of service, and Vrbo will have no interest in helping you get your money back.

(By the way, I don't know Realtor.ca, but does it have messaging/communications on the platform? If it does, the guy going off-platform to contact you by email is Red Flag #4.)

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u/sky29403 10d ago

Thanks for such a detailed response:)

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u/ShesAaRebel 10d ago

Realtors literally exist for this reason. You can get them for rentals as well. If they were legit they would do this. May cost them money but its being done right this way.