In March, two-thirds of French people who intended to leave this summer had not yet booked accommodations, according to a study by G2A Consulting. But now, with the summer holidays approaching, it can be hard to find a rental. However, there is no doubt in rushing into accommodation, with the risk of falling into a scam. Because like every year, several hundred Frenchmen will be besieged. “Since the beginning of the year, we have identified 200 reports related to seasonal rents,” says Morgan Bourne, a journalist at UFC-Que Choisir. A number that will gradually increase, especially this summer. Jean-Baptiste Boisseau, co-founder of Signal Arnaques, adds a site that allows Internet users to report a scam. However, scammers no longer operate in the same way We hope to lock up as many people as possible.
It used to be that vacation rental scams were more easily caught. Dream villa at a bargain price, non-existent residence … these technologies are now less used. “There has been a lot of communication about these scams, so internet users have been especially vigilant by checking, for example, the property’s location on Google Maps. Now, it is much more difficult to spot scams and worry about all kinds of accommodations,” he explains Morgan Purvin. Concretely, two types of scams have emerged in recent years.
False advertising, the main deception
First of all, you may find yourself with a rent that does not match the description of the advertisement (housing is in poor condition, lack of rooms, etc.). In this case, the platforms will take you to a hotel or other place. If the problem is detected before your arrival, a refund is possible. But to be taken care of, “You have to go through the platforms’ secure payment systems. Otherwise, you have no guarantee,” explains Morgan Purvin who advises going systematically through the sites to book a rental. It is also a good idea to read reviews and write rental information on the Signal Scam site to spot a potential scam.
Another type of fraud that is particularly used: false advertising. Here, the scammer simply copied an ad. Property picture, description, owner’s name… False advertisement is almost identical regardless of contact details. Only the phone number and email address are different. Do your own research before booking. You can copy and paste the description online or do a reverse image search to verify that the ad is not on another site. If so, check that the coordinates match and contact the owner by asking him questions about the place or To order additional photos,” Morgan Bourven recommends. In this type of scam, the scammer will try to trick you into connecting and paying off the platform, often by telling you that this will reduce the booking fee. To be more convincing, the person can also invite you via email for payment on the platform website by sending you the link. In fact, it is a fraudulent site. his goal? He steals the victim’s money and hides it. Again, if payment is not made at the rental location, it is impossible to compensate.
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As the owners stole
The French looking for vacation rentals aren’t the only ones who can fall into the scammer’s trap. Some landlords who have posted an ad online may find themselves facing a fake tenant scam. At the beginning of the year, Andre Camille, a retiree who rented his house in Corsica for more than 15 years, found himself in this situation. “A guy called me via email and then on the phone to rent my house,” he explains. “He was a scammer who stole all the info I sent him.” Identity document, property tax, property description… The man collected all the documents to publish a false declaration in parallel.
After filing a complaint and alerting this scam on Signal Arnaques, the owner expects to see many more victims arriving at his home this summer. “Some internet users were notified when they found out that there were different email addresses depending on the ads (editor’s note, the scammer reversed the owner’s first and last name in the email address). I told them it was a scam but some actually paid a deposit, sometimes up to 2,000 euros,” breathes.
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More packed pallets
To combat these scams, rental sites have integrated artificial intelligence to detect false ads. “The goal is to expose inconsistencies such as conversations that lead to nothing because scammers are systematically inviting Internet users to exchange through another channel,” confirms Morgan Bourne. Some platforms go even further, such as Gîtes de France, which makes visits to every rental. The PAP website has created a verification service. From now on, owners who wish to post an advertisement must submit a title deed in addition to an identity document. A system that made it possible to identify 60 potentially false advertisements – which were later withdrawn – out of the 600 received daily, according to France information.