How to spot a Scam Enquiry
Posted by admin in Business, Property Owners Info | November 30th 2012The rental business is a prime target for scammers and tricksters. Be aware! — a customer is paying, normally upfront for a stay in your property. It’s important that you protect yourself when doing business. Your best protection is being aware of various traits which can indicate a fraudulent enquiry. It is not always the case, but there are some Red Flags to look out for!
Common Red Flags
- Demonstrates a poor grasp of spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.
- Uses a free online e-mail service, eg. Yahoo, Hotmail or similar
- Gives you far more information than the typical traveller.
- Is a religious figure, sea captain, doctor, or officer in the armed forces.
- Wants to arrange a surprise trip for someone else (like a Son/ Daughter/ Godchild etc).
- Wants to pay by certified cheque/ banker’s draft
- Offers to pay more than your stated rate.
- Can’t keep their own name straight within the enquiry or the name on the enquiry does not match the name on the email address.
- Seems to have limited understanding of when/ where/ what they are enquiring about. Limited knowledge of the region, property type or any such.
- The enquirer asks you to phone them but the number they provide is a premium rate number. Such numbers often begin in 09.
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