Craigslist vacation rental scam gaining momentum

There's a fast-growing Craigslist vacation rental scam that you need to know about.

As longtime listeners know, it's now become commonplace when you're looking for a deal to rent a condo or a home directly from the homeowner rather than a traditional hotel. Clark loves VRBO.com for this purpose.

Well, the scam here involves crooks posting bogus listings on Craigslist. These listings may have tons of pictures and a lengthy description of a real house. But the poster doesn't own the property!

Unsuspecting vacationers are paying in advance, usually by check or Western Union wire. The supposed landlord takes the money, of course. Then the customers show up -- perhaps after traveling across the country -- and find that they can't stay there.

We talk about all the ways that people's privacy gets invaded on the Internet. But this is just the opposite. Someone creates a persona and they turn out not to be the owner of what they claim.

Here are some ways you can protect yourself:

• Google the actual address of the place where you're planning to stay. Verify that the same e-mail address is being used across the web whenever you find the property listed.
• Be sure any rental you consider has a lot of reviews from satisfied customers.
• Pay by credit card to limit your risk. You can always dispute the charge if the rental turns out to be a scam.

When it comes to general booking advice about VRBO.com, Clark always looks for places that are built in last five years (or renovated in the last four) and that have a lot of pictures posted online. Both factors help ensure that the rental will be in tip-top shape.

Finally, remember that most people who list properties for rent are legitimate. So don't go sour on the idea of renting from an owner instead of from a hotel!