The Turkish media warns holidaymakers that scammers have become more active online attracting people with advertisements for cheap villa rentals in Turkey. It has been reported that the scammers duplicate the websites of well-known Turkish real estate and tourism agencies, copying the corporate identity and logos of companies, post ads in search engines, use photos of travel agencies. According to Turkish media reports, hundreds of travelers have already suffered from the actions of the swindlers.
The wave of holiday rental scams was driven by high demand for villas and garden houses. Due to the threat of coronavirus, many holidaymakers this year, instead of hotel accommodation, are booking detached houses in the countryside or bungalow houses in the mountains and secluded seaside villages.
Ryza Percin, head of the Antalya branch of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB): “Due to the pandemic, many families (especially Turkish residents) this year prefer villas to spend their holidays as isolated as possible. Demand for villas reached the record figures about a month ago. Of course, scammers could not help but take advantage of this opportunity. The scheme of their work is typical: they copy the website of a large agency, publish advertisements for renting villas at reduced prices. Those wishing to book a holiday villa are charged an advance payment of 5,000-7,000 lira after scammers receive the payment they disappear."