It was a minor shock to realize that someone today had copied pictures and text from our listings at VRBO, HomeAway, Flipkey and TripAdvisor to create their own Craigslist ad to scam people into making false reservations and sending money. What made us aware of this scheme was when a gentleman called and asked if it was our ad on Craigslist. At first we didn’t know what he was talking about but after he showed us the link http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/vac/4158654675.html is became immediately clear that we were on the receiving end of someone’s scam. Following that first call we have received several more. Each one contributing a piece to the puzzle.
The person who called explained that he had spoken to someone called Harries at telephone number (857) 239 0299. If that sounds familiar, you may want to double check!
At this point we have collected some good evidence that we have handed over to the police. If you have any information to share about this scam, please let us know so that we can help keep others safe.
The reason the gentleman found us, he explained, was that when he was looking for a Scottsdale rental property for March 2014 he found the listing, at $200 per night, which prompted his suspicions, and rightly so. After doing some internet searches he found us and reached out. Good to hear some are internet savvy but you have to wonder how many falls for this kind of scam.
Be safe out there! If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
To book our property, only rely on VRBO, HomeAway, FlipKey and TripAdvisor. We also advertise on Zillow for long term rentals. No other site is authorized to advertise Casa Hopi, and is likely fraud.
/Håkan