Fraud involving villas in Paros and other major islands – They take thousands of euros and disappear

E. was looking to book a house for a summer holiday for her group, which consists of eight people, and she is almost always responsible for arranging the group’s accommodation. And when we talk about holidays for eight people, it is almost like having to square the circle!

However, she succeeded. She found a villa in Paros on Booking that met everyone’s requirements!

In fact, it was so impressive that they joked they might arrive in Paros and find a prefabricated structure instead of the luxurious house, because the price was too good to be true!

Anyone who has tried to book accommodation through such platforms knows that it is common for the property manager to later contact you directly to complete the booking without intermediaries, as they avoid fees and the renter usually gets a discount.

This is what happened in E.’s case as well. They contacted her and told her that from then on they should communicate in a WhatsApp group.

When it came time to make the payment, it was done in an environment identical to that of a well-known booking platform. She transferred the amount (more than €3,000) and received a receipt listing the details of the alleged property manager.

About two weeks after the booking was confirmed, she discovered that the villa did not exist, neither on the link through which the booking had been made nor, of course, on Booking.

And that is how she realized she had fallen victim to fraud, the well-known phishing scheme.

What can you do once you realize something like this, other than panic? You report it to the Cybercrime Division, which will urge you to file a complaint and find a lawyer to take legal action. It is difficult – almost impossible – to get your money back, but perhaps at some point there should be a framework for consumer protection.

As News 24/7 was informed, this is a common scam, especially on major islands.