The dream of a vacation in Mallorca can quickly turn into a nightmare. You've been looking forward to a relaxing vacation for months and have booked a beautiful apartment with a sea view. And then everything turns out very differently. When you arrive at your accommodation, nobody is waiting for you with the key and when you ask, nobody knows the landlord. What should you do in such a case?
In the wake of the pandemic and the associated increase in digitalization, demand for vacation homes has risen rapidly. However, fraudulent offers are increasingly common among the numerous vacation homes. These are particularly popular in areas with high tourist numbers. This includes Mallorca in particular.
People are directed to the fraudulent websites via legal platforms such as Booking and AirBnB. Once there, potential tenants are shown pictures of other people's houses and asked to make an advance payment.
Once you have paid the money, it is very unlikely that you will get it back. Even if you go to the police, they will not usually be able to get the money back. Nevertheless, you should go to the police to prevent other people from being scammed.
How do I make sure this doesn't happen to me? To avoid such a scam, you should check as much information as possible. For example, search for the specified rental property on Google Maps, ask for details if the information about the property is inaccurate and read the reviews. But reviews can also be fake. This law firm is aware of a case in which the digital identity, including a copy of the identity card, was first stolen on the Internet and then vacation apartments were offered for rent under the name of a real person. If you want to be on the safe side, avoid advance payments altogether.
Author:
Dr. Dominic John Patrick Porta, LL.M.
Attorney at Law (Düsseldorf Bar Association n° 52954)
Abogado (ICAIB n° 6645)
dominic.porta@anwaltmallorca.eu
www.anwaltmallorca.eu
Do you need the support of a German lawyer in Mallorca?
Porta & Associates is a law firm in Palma de Mallorca. Dr. Dominic Porta advises you as a German lawyer in Mallorca on all matters relating to house purchase, rental and licenses. The modern law firm in Palma also represents its clients in corporate law, inheritance law, contract law and tax law.
More information and contact can be found at www.anwaltmallorca.eu