NEWSROOM

While villas and bungalows are among the first choices for those wanting to vacation in a private area, recent scam incidents have raised concerns. A villa rental company, warning against scammers for those considering options like bungalows, shared important points to pay attention to.

TURKEY - In an effort to protect themselves from the variants left as a legacy by the pandemic, people avoiding crowded places during their holidays and other occasions are turning to alternative accommodation methods. Villas and bungalow-style homes offer the opportunity to stay in an isolated manner. However, encountering scammers after making reservations and payments online has led to hesitations in rental transactions recently.

According to current data from PwC’s Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey, 31% of respondents who encountered any crime reported it was a case of purchase fraud. Mehmet Bozdoğan, Co-Founder of Villa Reyonu, warns those looking to rent a villa or bungalow against scams and also discusses methods to prevent them.

Mehmet Bozdoğan, stating that villas and bungalows are now preferred in all four seasons, said, “We evaluate the villas and bungalows to be included in the rental at the beginning and end of the season. We add houses that meet our criteria determined for customer satisfaction to our portfolio.”

“The classic method of scammers: Insurance payment after the initial deposit”

Mehmet Bozdoğan, Co-Founder of Villa Reyonu, warns against the new methods of scammers, “Websites that are copied exactly and fake social media accounts with thousands of followers create a sense of trust in people. Unfortunately, scammers who receive the deposit for the reservation do not stop there. They demand another payment under the guise of house insurance. If the second payment is not made, they claim that the reservation will be canceled and the money will not be refunded. Those afraid of losing their money make another payment. However, when they arrive at the location, they find neither a contact nor a house.”

“Checking the business through TÜRSAB’s page prevents financial losses”

“Only information exchange should be done via social media. Reservation transactions should be continued through the website,” says Mehmet Bozdoğan, “Those who want to vacation without disappointment should make their reservations through reliable channels. For instance, it is essential for businesses to be registered with the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB). Therefore, the business should be queried on TÜRSAB’s page with its registration number before making a reservation. This is a very short and easy process, yet it saves one from financial and emotional losses.”

“We inspect the houses in our portfolio on site”

Emphasizing customer satisfaction in their services, Mehmet Bozdoğan concluded:

“To ensure our customers do not suffer any grievances, every property available for rent is inspected on site by our team members. The most important criterion is that the visuals, location, design, and features exactly match the information published. Thus, we ensure our guests leave their holidays happy and satisfied.”