VRBO SCAMS

A row of vacation rental homes on a beach illustrating an article about a missing security deposit refund.

My vacation rental host won’t refund my security deposit. Is this a scam?

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Can a vacation rental host refuse to refund your security deposit — no questions asked? I discovered the answer from one unreasonable VRBO host is, “Yes, I can.”

I have news for her: No, she can’t.

This story is another in our file of outrageous tales of travelers being fleeced by vacation rental hosts and franchise hotels alike. These owners are helping themselves to hundreds and even thousands of dollars of their guests’ money with little to no justification. And unfortunately, the cases are piling up at an alarming rate.

This Vrbo guest booked a vacation rental that doesn't seem to exist. Can we help?

I wasted $2,000 on a vacation rental that does not exist!

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Paul Trosclair says he just spent nearly two grand on a vacation rental that does not exist. To make matters worse, Vrbo sided with the person he believes is a thief disguised as a host.

Now Paul hopes our advocacy team can prove this vacation rental is nonexistent and get his money back.

But can we do it?

Don't fall for this vacation rental scam -- never use Zelle to pay.

How to easily lose $500 to a vacation rental scam? Pay with Zelle

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Falling for a vacation rental scam surely is not at the top of your list of things to do this summer. It certainly wasn’t in Don Boyk’s plans. But that’s exactly what happened when a thief disguised as a Vrbo host persuaded him to send a $500 deposit via Zelle.

His cash was soon in the hands of the scammer and Vrbo informed him the listing was fraudulent. 

Now Don hopes we can find a way to save him from this vacation rental scam and retrieve his money.

But if a consumer uses Zelle to send cash to a stranger, is there any way to get it back?