Holiday scams
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
July 18, 2016 1:07pm CST
Today I visited my parents. We drank coffee together and we talked about different topics. At one point we talked about some of the holiday scams that we have experienced.
Many years ago my parents, my brother and I rented an RV through a newspaper ad. We paid in advance, but when we arrived there was no RV. The man from the ad never had any RVs, the entire ad was a lie. When my father discovered the truth he was furious, he yelled at the man and he managed to get his money back. The man behind the ad did the same thing to other people and we later heard that he had been arrested.
Another time my parents rented a house through an ad. We were going to spend our holiday there and we were 6 people so we a rented a house with 3 bedrooms, but when we arrived we discovered that one of the bedrooms was locked because the owner used it as a storage room. It was true that there were 3 bedrooms, but we were only able to use two of them and the ad was deceiving.
Again my father was really angry, but we didn't have anywhere else to stay and we had to accept the house the way it was. My grandmother and I had to sleep on the floor in the living room, because there were no beds for us.
Did ever you experience a holiday scam?
11 people like this
11 responses
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
19 Jul 16
@Porcospino
That is good your family could find another place but it is sad that others didn't and it ruined their Holiday.
1 person likes this
@Genipher (5405)
• United States
18 Jul 16
I've seen scams on Craigslist. People claiming to have a house for rent but they're "out of the country" so they'll need the security deposit and first month's rent mailed over. When that's done, they'll mail you the key.
Ha! Riiiight.
Better to be skeptical and possibly miss out on a golden opportunity than to be sorry!
3 people like this
@suziecat7 (3350)
• Asheville, North Carolina
18 Jul 16
This hasn't happened to me though once my friends and I rented a supposedly luxurious beach house and the place was infested with fleas. We complained and were relocated but it was a hassle.
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Jul 16
That sounds terrible. I am glad that you managed to get a different place. It reminds me of a house that we once rented. It was full of mold and bugs 
1 person likes this
@allen0187 (58582)
• Philippines
20 Jul 16
Hi there my friend! It has been awhile. Hope you are doing great.
Haven't experienced any of these holiday scams. Glad that guy with the fake RV got arrested. The other guy who rented out the house without fully disclosing the condition of the third bedroom also deserves to be arrested. Anyway, I hope that incident didn't dampen your holiday spirit at that time.
1 person likes this
@allen0187 (58582)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
@Porcospino you win some, you lose some.
Glad it still worked out. Hate to spend the holidays like that.
I could get better but I'm happy to still be posting here in the site and chatting with friends.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 Jul 16
@allen0187 It is nice to talk to you again. I am not here as often as I used to be, but I try to visit the site sometimes and read my friends' discussions.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
23 Jul 16
Hi! 
I am fine, I haven't been here much recently. How are you?
I am also glad that he was arrested. My father was really angry at him and he managed to convince him to return the money that we had paid in advance and we spent that money on a different type of accommodation. Fortunately we had a nice holiday anyway. My father was also very angry at the guy who lied about the third bedroom, but we chose to accept the house because it was during the high season and it wasn't possible to find a different house.
I am fine, I haven't been here much recently. How are you?
I am also glad that he was arrested. My father was really angry at him and he managed to convince him to return the money that we had paid in advance and we spent that money on a different type of accommodation. Fortunately we had a nice holiday anyway. My father was also very angry at the guy who lied about the third bedroom, but we chose to accept the house because it was during the high season and it wasn't possible to find a different house.1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
19 Jul 16
Wow, the RV scam is really horrible.
I would definitely call the police right away and have him arrested.
I do not face such scams because i tend to go through the travel agencies in a country that I will visit or am visiting.
When I went to China, I like to book a hotel room for one or two nights, and then arrange with the local travel agency for a vehicle (without tour guide) or just join a day tour.
It sure is interesting and cheap to join the day tour.
There is no need to give tips to the tour guide and drivers because they will earn when we step into the shops.
Even if we do not buy anything, the shops will give them a fixed sum per person per entry.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 Jul 16
@scheng1 If I visit China I would like to travel around for a while. It is not close to my home, so it would be nice to visit many places on the same trip. I would like to visit some of the famous places as well as some of the less wellknown places with few tourists.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
25 Jul 16
@Porcospino Not possible to do that since it is a big country.
Each province is as big as a country, and there are more than 50 tribes in China.
Personally I like the western part of China that is near to Tibet.
I think Tibet is worth a visit if you can take the high altitude, and Sichuan Province is the starting place for the train ride to Tibet.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
24 Jul 16
@Porcospino I have been to China many times, and have visited different provinces.
If you want the real China experience, you have to forget about Beijing, and all those popular tourist destinations for Westerners.
China is very structured when it comes to their places of interest.
They have UNESCO sites, National grade tourist destination, and Province level tourist destination.
Some are very well-run, and they do not have cars or buses inside the national parks to cause pollution.
They have electric buses for all visitors within the park.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
23 Jul 16
Yes, the one with the RV never really had a business. He pretended that he owned several RVs, but he didn't own a single one, it was all a lie. I am glad that he was arrested.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 16
@Porcospino Some people really have a lot of cheek don't they? I'm glad he got arrested too.
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
18 Jul 16
Do that here, God knows what could happen to you, vacation scams rarely happen here, money scams are more common mostly to trusting, unsuspecting and first time visitors.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Jul 16
I have experienced a few holiday scams here especially in the past. I have never been to the Philippines. Which kinds of money scams do tourist experience?
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Jul 16
@louievill The thing with the taxis also happen here. Some taxi drivers will take a detour if the passengers don't know the local area, but there are quite few tourist scams here compared to some of the places I have visited. Things are very expensive here, and some international tourists think they have been scammed, but in most cases it isn't a scam and the locals pay the same amounts.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
18 Jul 16
@Porcospino it could start with a taxi that has a meter that goes double fast or taking you on a long cut, then there are unscrupulous money changers when you change currency, people who would befriend you with a pretty woman, pay for your drinks laced ativan and you wake up robbed, things like that. People who have property to rent out are most often well to do so they won't resort to low forms of scamming
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
23 Jul 16
I am happy that it never happened to you. Those scams are terrible. Fortunately my family managed to find a different place to stay.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
23 Jul 16
That is true. Many people have experienced that type of scams when they were looking for a place to spend their holiday,
