Unfortunately there are scammers out there preying on people, so here are tips on spotting & avoiding vacation rental scams: 1. Book directly from a verified vacation rental's website. 2. Check the rental's reputation on TripAdvisor. Fresh reviews are a good sign it is legitimate because scams get exposed quickly on TA, and most scammers would probably avoid TA for this reason. Even better if they have a verified TripAdvisor account (there will be a link to the property's website). 3. Google the vacation rental's name for a bad reputation or any history of scams. 4. Look for typos or strange wording on the website or in email communications with you. Scammers are often international and not native English speakers. 5. Call the phone number on the website and speak with a real person. Ask detailed questions that only a legitimate representative would know. 6. Check if the vacation rental has been verified by Google Business (it should show up on the right side in a Google search) and check its physical location on Google Maps.