tourists are being “caught like bruises” by increasingly well-crafted scams

“Villa with sea view, with swimming pool, jacuzzi and large garden ideal for barbecues, all for 300 euros per month… A bargain Here are the kind of offers that abound on the internet during the summer period. Offers behind which sometimes hide beautiful scams, meticulously disguised.

Laurence and Isabelle are among those many vacationers who became disillusioned once they arrived at their destination. These holidays in Majorca, they dreamed of it. With family and friends, the duo booked a villa for eleven people with a local agency, which showed all the necessary guarantees.

“We had a rental contract with the company’s Siret number, the various rules to be respected, the name of the agency manager, an Iban in a recognized Spanish bank, the BBVA.”

Laurence, a vacationer

at franceinfo

But the day they arrive on site, it’s a cold shower. No agency, so no house. “We had the feeling of being rather vigilant about scams. She sent us a proper rental agreement. The site seemed to be an agency that had a storefront. We got screwed like bruises”continues Laurence.

Reports are exploding

In all, the two tourists lost more than 6,000 euros. Between 2019 and 2020, the Info scam telephone platform recorded 58% more calls.

“On the site, we had the photo of the various agents of the agency and in this case, I had a Vanessa Jiménez, who had a sense of commercial service and who was eager to welcome us to the island.”

Isabelle, a vacationer

at franceinfo

For Major Marc Conraux, from the sub-directorate for the fight against cybercrime at the judicial police, this increase is linked to several factors: “The increase in Internet users, who are not necessarily always very aware of what they are risking. Then, there is also the democratization of the use of online messaging and payment tools that are used for this type of scam. Finally, the scammers benefit from technical support which now allows them with great ease to conceal their identity and maintain anonymity.”

With the explosion of rental on the internet, everyone can be a victim of this kind of scam. To reduce the risks, it is advisable to favor specialized sites, not to rely on prices that are too low and to check on the internet whether the information given has not already been reported for fraud or whether the photos have not been stolen.

Finally, if you are the victim of a scam, you can contact the Info scam telephone platform on 0 805 805 817, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.