Leboncoin scam: Gîte owner and customers victims of scam

Last week, the owner of a gîte in Saint-Front, a commune in the Haute-Loire department, was the victim of a rental scam on the classified ads website Leboncoin. But she was not the only victim in this case, as guests of the gîte were also victims. A false advert for the La Mandra gîte had been posted by an impostor on the Leboncoin website, who took advantage of the opportunity to pocket the deposit on bookings. Of course, as the bookings were false, the customers were never able to go to the gîte in question, even though they had paid the rental.

The owner of the gîte and her guests in a delicate situation

Since last Tuesday, Marie-Pierre Boyer, the owner of the gîte La Mandra, has been receiving numerous calls from groups of people who thought they had booked into the gîte to welcome the warm weather. This was unthinkable, as Marie-Pierre Boyer's gîte was already full at the time of their calls, so the bookings had already been closed. As a result, the gîte guests found themselves in a tricky situation, with the sum of 429 euros taken from them, but without being able to go to the place they had booked.

It all started when a woman called the owner of the gîte La Mandra explaining that she would be arriving next week with her group. When the woman gave her name, Marie-Pierre Boyer couldn't find the booking. That's what tipped her off straight away. When the owner informed her of this, the customer replied that unfortunately she had suspected it because she had only just booked on the internet and wanted to call the gîte directly to confirm her suspicions.

Fake ads on Leboncoin hard to spot

This first victim of the scam, like many others in this case, made his reservation on the classified ads site Leboncoin by replying to the ad of a certain Jerry for a rental in the La Mandra gîte. The victims of the scam explain that it was difficult to suspect that the ad was a fake because it was very realistic, thanks in particular to the photos and the very precise description. These elements, which enabled the scam to be carried out, had in fact been taken from the official website of the La Mandra gîte.

So when potential customers who thought they were spending a peaceful holiday in the heart of the Mézenc contacted the scammer, he sent them a fake rental contract that was easily available on the Internet. To make it easier to fool his victims and complete the scam, the scammer went so far as to call them himself to insist on a deposit of 429 euros before the rental could be confirmed. Unfortunately, three groups of people fell into his trap and paid the amount due.

She warns on her social networks to avoid new victims

The owner of the gîte explains that after realising she was the victim of a rental scam, she went straight to the Leboncoin website, where she eventually found the scammer's advert. She tried to contact him using the number provided by the first victim, but no one ever replied. So she decided to report the advert that had caused her customers so much harm. The ad was quickly deleted.

In addition, she wanted to bring this to justice by filing a report with the gendarmerie, and then by posting as many warnings as possible on her social networks to prevent further victims. At present, Marie-Pierre Boyer still does not know the exact number of customers who were tricked into paying deposits to this impostor.

Secure your purchases and sales between private individuals with Obvy

Many private individuals use classified ad sites to buy and sell goods, with the aim of making quick transactions and getting good deals. Unfortunately, the increase in the use of classified ad sites such as Leboncoin, Facebook Marketplace and Vinted is bringing with it a growing number of online scams.

Whether you're dealing in goods or services, it's essential to use a secure payment method like Obvy to avoid any scams. Thanks to Obvy and its escrow system, your transactions are secure throughout and you have all the information you need about the seller or buyer in the event of a problem.