Scammer strategies

To help protect you from fraudulent requests, we’ve summarized a few of the most common scammer strategies.

Overpayments and refund requests

In this example, scammers will send a counterfeit cashier's check or money order, then ask for a refund before you or the bank is aware of the counterfeit payment. Scammers can also pay with a credit card and request a refund via another payment method.

Common excuses to write a check:

  • "Credit cards aren't safe or available where I am.”
  • “I was a recent victim of identity theft, so I prefer to pay with a cashier's check.”
  • “My employer/spouse/friend is paying, so I need to use a check.”

Impersonation

This scam involves an individual impersonating a trusted figure such as a clergyman, sea captain, doctor, or military member to manipulate a property owner into a false sense of security. This scam is often paired with an overpayment scam.

Surprise trip plan

In this example, the scammer claims to be an agent for someone else. For example, a friend booking a surprise get-away or a professional travel agent. Owners are given believable explanations as to why a different name appears on the payment methods.

Arrives within 24 hours for a short stay

The scammer books a stay 24 hours in advance for a short stay. This scam works by allowing fraudsters to stay in your property before your bank realizes their payment method is fraudulent, and they leave before funds are reversed.

This scam can be paired with the overpayment scam. A scammer will stay for part of their trip, then leave early and ask for a partial refund. By the time you've discovered their payment method is fraudulent, they're gone.

Common signs of a scam

Booking inquiries from scammers can sometimes look legitimate. Use caution when reviewing your inquiries and take notice of these common signs:
  • Incorrect or unusual spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.
  • More information provided than usual.
  • A request for you to communicate offsite.
  • A request to pay by certified check, cashier's check, or unsecured wire transfer.
  • No comments in the inquiry, or comments that don't match your property.

Protect yourself

To lower your risk of a booking request scam, we recommend the following policies:

  • Never accept more than the amount due.
  • Never send refunds for an overpayment.
  • Only accept payments online.
  • If an inquiry isn't legitimate, mark it as spam. Contact us if you suspect that you've received a request from a scammer.