Instead of going on vacation, a woman from the Kaiserslautern district gave away her vacation money to fraudsters.
Online fraud is currently booming - since the holiday season is also overshadowed by the pandemic, many users are trying to go on their well-deserved vacation in Germany or at least in neighboring countries. However, the West Palatinate police warn against fraudsters who supposedly broker holiday homes via online portals. A 37-year-old fell victim to the scam. She filed a report via the Rhineland-Palatinate police's online watchdog.
According to her, the woman had booked a holiday home in Holland via an internet portal. At the beginning of the month, she transferred the amount of money due, amounting to several hundred euros, to the agent's company account via real-time transfer. It was agreed that she would receive the rental agreement by email and that the keys would be handed over upon arrival at the resort.
After the 37-year-old transferred the money, contact broke off. She received neither a response nor the rental agreement. The investigation into fraud has been initiated.
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Something similar happened to a couple from the city area. They had also looked for a holiday apartment via the same internet portal, booked the desired home and transferred several hundred euros in advance. After that, the alleged “landlord” stopped calling. The money is probably gone. The investigation is ongoing.
In June, the State Criminal Police Office and the Rhineland-Palatinate consumer advice center informed about fraud in connection with holiday properties under the keyword “Enough fraud”. Tips and recommendations on how to recognize fraudulent offers, what to pay attention to when booking and how to protect yourself from fraudsters can be found here .
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Source: West Palatinate Police Headquarters
Article image: Shutterstock / By fizkes
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