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Online advertising and fraud preventionFraud Prevention TipsThe internet has made it easier to do many things, including renting a vacation rental direct from the owner. Occasionally though, an unscrupulous person will try to take advantage of others, so when doing anything online, it pays to check out who you are dealing with to make sure they are legitimate. Fortunately, over 99% of what is out there is legitimate, but you don’t want to be taken advantage of by that tiny percentage that is not. At the top are tips for Rentors, and at the bottom are some tips for Owners of Vacation Rentals. Here are some tips to make sure you have a good experience here: 1) A warning sign of fraud is often an unusually low price in relation to similar rentals. If you feel you or others have been the victim of a person who has a current listing in our web site, please contact us and let us know the details of why you think it is fraudulent. Mahalo, and have a great trip … do not be too worried about fraud as it is extremely rare, but do be aware and take precautions. Fraud Prevention Tips for Owners1) A common scheme is for someone to send a check or money order for more than the amount due. Then, they will want a refund for the balance. They hope that by the time you find out their check or money order is no good you will have already sent them the money. It can take several days for checks to clear, and longer for checks originating out of the country. You may even see the deposit added to your account, but if the bank determines the check is bad they can take it back out. Never accept more than the amount due. 2) Obtaining payment by well known credit card company or through a payment system such as Paypal gives you more protection than by accepting checks. If accepting checks, make sure before giving any refunds that the check has cleared with the bank. Remember, just because the amount shows up in your account does not necessarily mean it has cleared. 3) Another recommendation for protecting your interests is to have a Rental Agreement with all of your terms and policies spelled out. Be sure to get a signed and dated copy from your rentors. If you don't do this, you have very little legal recourse if problems should arise (and sooner or later they will).
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