Vacationspaces.com Scam alert

[centime]

Got this email right now, BEWARE.
We've recently been alerted to the fact that our site is being used to promote a "Counterfeit Cashier's Check Scam" to our owners. For your own protection, please read this email in it's entirety for explanations of variations of these scams and how to help protect yourself.

Please remember that all monetary transactions involve risk and if anything seems out of the ordinary, it might warrant extra scrutiny. The specific scams we have been alerted to go something like this:

Variation 1:
1) Cashier's check is offered for deposit/rent.
2) Value of cashier's check exceeds the actual price - renter asks you to wire/send the balance back.
3) Banks will cash the fake cashier's check, release the funds to your account, AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK IS LATER DETERMINED TO BE FAKE.

Variation 2:
1) Cashier's check is offered for deposit/rent.
2) Value of cashier's check is the correct amount, however the renter immediately cancels and asks you to wire/send the balance back (and keep a rebooking fee for the cancellation).
3) Banks will cash the fake cashier's check, release the funds to your account, AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK IS LATER DETERMINED TO BE FAKE.

Remember, counterfeit cashier's checks are usually cashed by your bank and the funds are released to you. It might take many days before the bank determines it is fake and holds you responsible for the amount. You should also never accept a cashier's check for an amount more than is owed to you. If you receive a cashier's check, please do not immediately issue any refund to a renter until you verify the check is valid. Please contact your bank for more information on confirming the validity of a cashier's check, especially if it is of international origin.

If you feel like you have been the victim of fraud on the Internet, please contact your local law enforcement. In the United States, you may also file a complaint of Internet fraud with the FBI and NW3C at http://www.ifccfbi.gov .

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks for listing with us!

Best Regards,

The VacationSpaces.com Team

Don't get burned - I never take cheques - perhaps cash is KIng!

[Darren]

Yes, these type of scams are circling rental websites, and have been for a while now. You should be extra cautious when receiving enquiries, tell tale signs are;

- Bad written english
- Payment to be made in Western Union / Cashier cheques
- Appear to want to rush through payment
- Offer to send more money than required for the rental.

Darren

[IrvLatta]

Yes - I have encountered a number of similar incidents as well on our site. I have attempted to alert the FBI but they are not interested due to the shear volume of related incidents that are reported. We even had a write-up about this in our local newspaper saying how this scam was reaching epidemic proportions and affecting many different industries. I have captured the perpetrator's IP addresses and other useful information for tracking them, but am not sure where to take this information. Has anyone else had any luck getting these people arrested? If so, please let me know what the process was that you went through. At this point, all we can do is alert our home owners so that they are aware of the situation.

Thank you,