Rental Scams - Spanish Homeowner Advice

Top Scams

Of all the scams which attempt to get you to part with your money fraudulently, by far the most common one, and the one which is most easily believed, is known as "The Overpayment Scam". This is where your holidaymaker asks if you will accept (or even sends you a cheque for) more money than your rental fee - even 2 or 3 times more.

There is often a good reason why they want to do this, such as:

• 'a relative is buying this holiday for us as a wedding present ...'

• 'I'm sending it on behalf of someone who needs extra spending money when they arrive ....'

• 'my employer is sending you a cheque and will only pay it direct to the homeowner ...' etc, etc

The emails (or even phone calls) start off plausible enough, but that's when the scam starts.

The holidaymaker(?) keeps checking with you to see if you have received the cheque yet and 'have you banked it?' If you confirm that you have, they normally inform you that there's been a mistake and could you please refund the difference between your advertised rate and the actual amount they paid - "a personal cheque will be OK" they say.

Therein lies the problem. The original cheque is a fraud and, although it will show in your account, it is not available funds until it has cleared the banking system - which could take 8 weeks. In the meantime, your perfectly good cheque has been cashed by the scammer never to be seen again.

By the time you realise you've been scammed, it's too late - so NEVER send money until you are sure you have cleared funds in your account. Your bank will tell you if the funds have cleared or not.

A new scam doing the rounds is one where the enquirer asks you to call them so they can discuss your holiday home in further detail. The telephone number they provide is a premium rate number which attracts a high charge to you and begins with 09 - so don't phone it.

If you would like advice on specific enquiries you receive, contact customer services here