scam?

[clairelou65]

Im always a little over cautious with people of a different language sending enquiries which are not through the usual sites.
Yesterday I received a broken English enquiry from Alice Bouchard for a Monday to Monday booking.
I replied with cost and today have received their address, Amsterdam with a note that they want to pay via Euro cheque and they will pay clearing charges. I was half expecting the next line to read 'we will be overpaying you and want you to book our air fares' but it didn't.
Does this seem right so far? Does the name sound familiar as a scammer? I googled it and found nothing.
How long do euro cheques take to clear? the booking s for April.

Any reassurance welcome!!

[bornintheuk]

If you are worried, get a phone number and call. If she is Dutch/French in Amsterdam then she will know some English (usually)

[clairelou65]

thanks, she has sent me a phone number too, starting 31.
The address seems to link to a hostel in Amsterdam when googled.
Perhaps when i say ill be posting the booking form (as i always do) this will scare them off or not.

[Ecosse]

It sounds a little odd to me (why a cheque rather than a bank transfer?) but I suppose it could be genuine. Is it for a period in April that you think you won't otherwise sell? If so, (and you're worried that they might be trying to scam you out of a free holiday) would you be happy to accept the cheque as a guarantee, but inform them that you will only cash it in the event of a no show, and that you require the full amount in cash on arrival?

We do this with our UK guests, to avoid bank transfer fees... though having said that, never on large bookings, only on a few night's b&b. I do find it odd that they haven't decided on a bank transfer... perhaps the above would make them back off if they are trying to scam you, though?

[Villarais]

When I book places in France and Spain I always write in the local language, so my French and Spanish must seem 'broken' to them, so I don't think that is necessarily a worry.

The old Eurocheques no longer exist, so I imagine that it will be a European bank cheque in euros. Your bank will not be delighted, but probably can cash it.

I don't know how she contacted you if it was not through a listing site or your own webpage, and her name sounds French, but she is living in Holland, so there are some inconsistencies.

I would proceed a bit further with caution, but I hope it works out for you.

[greenbarn]

Paying a cheque in a foreign currency into a sterling bank account incurs processing delays that can be weeks; the cheque apparently clears and funds are available fairly quickly, but the cheque can bounce some weeks later and the funds will be clawed back from your account. I don't know if this applies with cheques made out in euros, but it's likely (unless you have a euro account at your UK bank) - someone please correct me if I've got that wrong.

If the same delay applies as for euros as for other foreign currency cheques, it does of course make a scam with a stolen cheque far more likely, probably an overpayment rather than looking for a free holiday in April (a bit of a gamble that the cheque would still not have cleared by then).

So - payment by cheque makes it more likely to be a scam, but doesn't mean it is of course. You're obviously alert to the possibility, so I'd definitely keep the antennae twitching at maximum. It begs the question - why not do a bank transfer?

[FelicityA]

Yes, if it is cheque in Euros, your UK bank will probably charge you an arm and leg to cash it so you had better warn her (if you decide to go ahead) that there is a cost involved in this and also check with your bank how long they take to determine if a non-UK cheque is valid or not although that is probably like asking them how long is a piece of string.

European banks (in the Eurozone) even charge to cash a cheque if it is not from their own country so she must be aware that this is a very dated way of doing business.

I would be inclined to tell her that that you can only accept a bank transfer.

[clairelou65]

Thanks folks, Ive replied saying I'm posting the booking form and would prefer bank transfer via our IBAN number. We will see what happens...

[Marks]

What GB says. Potential to find out the cheque has bounced, is stolen or cancelled long after guests have had a (free) stay at your place.

Why not take payment by PayPal? There was a thread about WorldPay pay by link a few days back that is worth looking at, cheaper rates than PP.

I thought cheques were museum pieces and booking forms by snailmail

[FelicityA]

Do you normally post a booking form clairelou or is this because you want to call her bluff on the address? Have you tried looking at an online booking form like Wufoo? I find it great!

[clairelou65]

Felicity, I always post booking forms, I send a stamped return envelope too. This verifies their address for me even if they choose to scan it back to me at least I know they live at the address given.
We accept cheques (uk) or bank transfer, they seem to be 50/50 guests choice.
We do accept paypal and lots book through flipkey/home away which comes to us via paypal albeit with no fees and after they arrive.

[Villarais]

Oh dear, the same name has been used in a scam in the France section of LMH. Looks like an overpayment scam, but please let us know what happens next in your case clairelou.

[clairelou65]

Thanks for this, booking form was posted yesterday but I wasn't too optimistic. Glad i didn't show the week as provisionally booked now.

[holidayinsuffolk]

I had this enquiry too - sounded a bit dodgy and it set my 'scamometer' off so I ignored it!