STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you’re planning a getaway this summer, you might want to be extra cautious when booking your vacation rental.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is warning residents to be mindful of potential scams, including a scheme that misrepresents rentals or lists fake summer homes online, tricking customers into paying in full and leaving them with nowhere to stay.
“Scammers don’t take the summer off,” said James. “Summer plans can quickly melt if consumers aren’t careful when they book their getaway. Vacation fraud happens every year, but there are ways to avoid it and protect yourself from getting burned. School might be out, but don’t forget to do your homework — take the time to verify the host and read online reviews to ensure that vacation rentals are real and not a dupe. All year, my office is working to protect New Yorkers’ wallets from scammers, and we encourage anyone to report this fraud to our office.”
If any New Yorker falls victim to a scam, James urges them to report it to her office.
James recommends consumers take the following precautions before booking their summer getaway:
• Verify the host. Make sure the renter or host has a valid address and phone number.
• Make sure the listing has reviews and read the reviews. Be wary of listings on websites like Airbnb or VRBO that do not have any reviews listed. When reading reviews, check for multiple reviews that repeat the same phrases — that could be a sign that the…
