Shopping and marketplace · Also called fake holiday rental, vacation rental scam, fake booking site, free vacation scam
Fake travel booking
A fake travel booking scam sells holidays, flights, hotel rooms, or vacation rentals that do not exist or are not the seller's to sell. Scammers use fake websites, copied listings, and free vacation offers, take payment by methods that are hard to reverse, and leave travellers with no booking when they arrive.
How it works
- Scammers post fake holiday rentals, copy real listings, or build websites that look like travel agents or booking platforms.
- Prices are unusually low, or a free vacation is offered that turns out to need payment.
- They push for a quick decision and ask for payment by wire transfer, gift card, payment app, or crypto.
- The traveller arrives to find no booking, another guest in the rental, or a property that does not exist.
Red flags
- A premium property or trip is advertised for a very low price.
- You are offered a free vacation that you have to pay for.
- The seller will only take wire transfer, gift card, payment app, or cryptocurrency.
- You are pressured to book immediately and cannot get a written contract or cancellation policy.
If you are targeted
- Stop contact and do not send more money.
- Contact your bank or card issuer at once to try to stop or dispute the payment.
- Call the hotel, airline, or resort directly using its official website to check whether a booking exists.
- Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
- Report the listing or website to the platform where you found it.
Prevention
For individuals
- Look up travel companies, rentals, and agents with words like scam, review, or complaint before paying.
- Get the contract and cancellation and refund policies in writing before you pay.
- Book through official websites or known platforms, and do not pay anyone who will only take wire transfer, gift cards, or crypto.
For organisations
- Booking platforms can keep payment and messages inside their own system and warn guests who are asked to pay elsewhere.
- Hotels and resorts can publish their official booking channels and help travellers confirm reservations.
By the numbers
Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.
| Non-payment and non-delivery losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 | $503.4M | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
| Authorised push payment fraud losses in the UK in 2025 | £576.4M | GB, 2025, UK Finance |
Real cases
No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.
Delivered through: Social media ads and posts, Malvertising and SEO poisoning
How official datasets classify it
- FBI IC3
- Non-Payment/Non-Delivery
- FTC
- Vacation & Travel
- UK Finance
- Purchase scam
- Scamwatch
- Buying and selling scams
Questions
- How do I avoid vacation rental scams?
- The FTC advises getting a copy of the contract before paying any deposit, checking the property exists, and calling a resort's front desk to confirm details. Do not pay by wire transfer or gift card.
- I booked a holiday that does not exist. Can I get a refund?
- If you paid by credit card, dispute the charge with your card issuer. For other payment methods, contact your bank or provider immediately; recovery is harder.