Holidaymakers are warned to beware of fraudulent websites when booking holiday accommodation

Holidaymakers are being warned about a fraudulent holiday rental website targeting people trying to book in France, with users and operators reporting widespread complaints of fraud and possible identity theft.

The website rivierabudget.com was only created on July 3 this year, but holidaymakers are already being warned about it.

The website appears to be an online vacation rental reservation portal, offering “affordable accommodation throughout France,” it says. On the homepage, searchers can select a villa or apartment, the destination, arrival and departure dates, and the number of people – just like on a regular reservation site.

The site has “legal details” and even claims to be based at a prestigious address on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.

Aside from a small bug at the beginning – where users could only select the country they wanted – there are no other clear signs that anything is wrong. Since the site’s content is stolen (copied and pasted from legitimate listings elsewhere), the site actually appears sophisticated and legitimate.

The vacation rentals listed actually exist, meaning bookers can search for the properties elsewhere, read reviews, and compare the seemingly “cheap prices” with those on other websites, making the site seem real.

However, it is a scam and all bookings made through it are fake. The scammers take your money even though no actual booking has been made for the accommodation.

“Everything seemed credible”

One victim told FranceInter: “The reservation went smoothly. Everything seemed credible. I signed up and received an email redirecting me to a payment platform.”

The payment gateway is based in Spain, although the company claims to offer accommodation in France. It was only when his bank blocked the transaction that the victim realized he had been scammed. Fortunately, he did not lose any money.

Other victims were not so lucky and lost hundreds of euros.

Read also: There is now a new way to report fraud and scams in France

Reputational damage

Professional, reputable landlords have also noticed that the site is scamming them by copying and using their listings from other well-known sites such as Airbnb and Abritel and posing as them to get bookings. These operators fear that this could damage their reputation.

“When customers come to our door and say ‘we booked’ when in fact they didn’t book, it doesn’t reflect well on us,” said a tour operator in the Tarn department, who was alerted to the scam by another tour operator and her local tourist office. To France 3 Occitania.

Several professionals in the Tarn have reported complaints of fraud and identity theft. For example, the site offers 125 rental properties in Castres, 259 in Albi and 33 in Mazamet.

The site also offers accommodation in many other parts of France, including Calvados, Eure and Alpes-Maritimes, where other operators have also reported attempted scams.

Signs of fraud

Although the site is technically sophisticated, there are some signs that it is not reputable.

• First, the site was created relatively recently and does not have a long track record or third-party reviews to prove its good service or reputation.

• Second, when searching for rental properties elsewhere, all listings may be copied and used identically to others. This should be a cause for concern.

• Thirdly, payments must be made to a Spanish bank account and not through a secure portal in France.

The Gendarmerie’s cyber investigators also stated that the apparent “legal notices” on the website had been copied from the website of a reputable company in Nice, which had also filed a complaint.

Fraudulent rental websites are a well-known phenomenon and often appear during the holiday season. The scammers try to make money off of bargain hunters.

Read also: New way to check if a website or email is fraudulent in France
Also read: Ticket fraud at the Paris Olympics: 338 websites identified for resale fraud

Figures from Airbnb show that “nearly 2,500 third-party phishing sites” were uncovered worldwide between March 2023 and March 2024. A gendarme interviewed by France said he receives similar reports every week.