Pixee D.

VRBO/HomeAway/Airbnb web site runs rampant with fraud and scams. The VRBO/HomeAway/Airbnb web site is nothing more than a marketplace for scammers. Property owners pay yearly fees to list properties. That is this web site's bread & butter. There is zero incentive for them to protect and assist renters... and they don't. I've been scammed out of $4000 and VRBO's response was contact your credit card company for a charge back reimbursement. They take no responsibility for fraudulent owners and property managers on their site where they claim to "verify" property owners. In 5 minutes of my own detective work I was able to verify actual property owners on the two rentals I was dealing with through the San Francisco Tax Assessor's Office! What does this tell you? VRBO doesn't take even 5 minutes to verify property owners which leaves renters wide open to scams. I've been going round and round with their Theft & Security Division which should tell you another thing... if they have a Theft & Security Division they know there are tons of scammers on their web site. In any case, the Theft & Security Division have been unhelpful through this process. I am in the process of contacting attorneys and anyone interested in sharing your experiences is free to contact me at *******@outlook.com
Prospective renters: Do yourself a big favor and go through a reputable realtor for your vacation rentals in whatever area you choose to vacation.