Internet fraud

Beware of online trap with fake hotels

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

No villa. And the money is gone too: a man from Flachgau falls for a scam on a well-known booking platform. The Federal Criminal Police Office and Consumer Protection warn and give tips on what to do.

The case of a 59-year-old man from Salzburg has caused quite a stir. The man from Flachgau wanted to book a villa in France for his family and transferred 12,000 euros after contacting the landlord by email. After that there was a pause. The money was gone. The villa could no longer be found. The alleged landlord went into hiding. The "Krone" reported.

Major booking platforms affected
The scam is well-known and falls under rental fraud. Even on large booking platforms, you are not protected from it. Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking and Agoda, for example, also offer private accommodation.

Precautionary measures against scams
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), such prepayment scams make up the majority of fraud crimes. The BKA recommends: Be vigilant, contact the provider personally, insist on a contract and be particularly careful when transferring money abroad.

Irene Stauffer from the Salzburg police is not allowed to reveal which platform the Flachgauer fell victim to fraud on. She says: "For data protection reasons, we can't give any details, as it's not the company's fault. I can only say this much: it's one of the big, well-known providers."

Consumer protection at the Chamber of Labor agrees. Eva Klampferer says: "We recommend reporting to the police, reporting to the platform, initiating a cash-back procedure with the bank and generally being careful with private accommodation - there are no consumer protection regulations there and therefore little to do in the event of problems."