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Heartbreak for tourists in holiday scam - Business - News | The Manly Daily
Heartbreak for tourists in holiday scam
25 Nov 09 @ 05:13pm by Kelly Robinson
Overseas tourists are being scammed out of thousands of dollars.
They have booked accommodation in Manly only to arrive and find a bewildered homeowner living in what they thought was their holiday lodgings.
At least four overseas holidaymakers have been stung by the international scam in the past month after paying for Manly accommodation over the internet through an unknown travel company, believed to be based in the US. When they arrive, they discover the accommodation never existed and is in fact someone’s private apartment.
Manly crime manager Det-Insp Carole Dowsen said in the most recent case a couple believed they had booked a unit after paying 750 Euros (about $1200) online to an address in Palm Springs, California. On arrival at the unit in Bower St, Manly, earlier this week the tourists knocked on the door. They discovered the homeowner living there had no knowledge someone had rented the property.
It is believed the company or people involved in the scam have used as bait photographs of the view from a real estate website advertising a property for sale.
Det-Insp Dowsen said the couple had tried to contact the travel company once they realized but the phone number had been disconnected. The website had been shut down as well, she said. There is no suggestion the owner of the unit or real estate agents have any knowledge of the scam.
A neighbour of the property said the owners were shocked when a number of tourists arrived. The neighbour said she knew at least three couples visiting from overseas had arrived at the unit expecting accommodation. `These poor people had literally gotten off the plane and came here expecting a fully furnished apartment for two weeks,’’ she said. ``They were uni students from Germany and they weren’t silly people. I felt so sorry for them. They even had a confirmation invoice.’’
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a statement on Tuesday warning of a similar scam involving holiday vouchers. ``The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission receives complaints from holidaymakers who find that the cheap accommodation vouchers they have paid for either don’t arrive, are fakes, or simply can’t be used as promised,’’ ACCC deputy chair Peter Kell said.
The ACCC advises people booking holidays to contact the accommodation provider and confirm the availability of the accommodation and to not provide credit card details and other personal information to unsolicited callers. The ACCC also advises people to get details and say you will call them back after checking their offer. If they are genuine, they will be happy to provide their contact details. If they don’t, hang up.
Anyone who has been the victim of a similar scam can visit the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism website at http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/information_for_visitors/rights/Pages/default.aspx.
Heartbreak for tourists in holiday scam
25 Nov 09 @ 05:13pm by Kelly Robinson
Overseas tourists are being scammed out of thousands of dollars.
They have booked accommodation in Manly only to arrive and find a bewildered homeowner living in what they thought was their holiday lodgings.
At least four overseas holidaymakers have been stung by the international scam in the past month after paying for Manly accommodation over the internet through an unknown travel company, believed to be based in the US. When they arrive, they discover the accommodation never existed and is in fact someone’s private apartment.
Manly crime manager Det-Insp Carole Dowsen said in the most recent case a couple believed they had booked a unit after paying 750 Euros (about $1200) online to an address in Palm Springs, California. On arrival at the unit in Bower St, Manly, earlier this week the tourists knocked on the door. They discovered the homeowner living there had no knowledge someone had rented the property.
It is believed the company or people involved in the scam have used as bait photographs of the view from a real estate website advertising a property for sale.
Det-Insp Dowsen said the couple had tried to contact the travel company once they realized but the phone number had been disconnected. The website had been shut down as well, she said. There is no suggestion the owner of the unit or real estate agents have any knowledge of the scam.
A neighbour of the property said the owners were shocked when a number of tourists arrived. The neighbour said she knew at least three couples visiting from overseas had arrived at the unit expecting accommodation. `These poor people had literally gotten off the plane and came here expecting a fully furnished apartment for two weeks,’’ she said. ``They were uni students from Germany and they weren’t silly people. I felt so sorry for them. They even had a confirmation invoice.’’
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a statement on Tuesday warning of a similar scam involving holiday vouchers. ``The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission receives complaints from holidaymakers who find that the cheap accommodation vouchers they have paid for either don’t arrive, are fakes, or simply can’t be used as promised,’’ ACCC deputy chair Peter Kell said.
The ACCC advises people booking holidays to contact the accommodation provider and confirm the availability of the accommodation and to not provide credit card details and other personal information to unsolicited callers. The ACCC also advises people to get details and say you will call them back after checking their offer. If they are genuine, they will be happy to provide their contact details. If they don’t, hang up.
Anyone who has been the victim of a similar scam can visit the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism website at http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/information_for_visitors/rights/Pages/default.aspx.
