What was supposed to be a dream holiday in Crete turned into a nightmare for nine young tourists from Germany after they discovered that the luxury villa they believed they had rented simply wasn’t waiting for them.
According to local reports, the group, all around 20 years old, arrived in Heraklion expecting to spend ten days in a villa they had booked online. Instead, they found themselves standing at the gate of a property where no reservation existed.
The tourists say they found the listing on FeWo-direkt, the German vacation rental platform operated by Vrbo, and paid €4,602.45 for their stay between August 3 and August 13. Before making the payment, they believed they had verified the reservation by communicating with the property’s supposed manager.
The alleged scammer reportedly used the name “Vangelis T.” along with photographs and details taken from a genuine holiday villa, making the listing appear legitimate.
Only after arriving in Crete did the group learn they had been deceived.
A taxi driver who collected the visitors from Heraklion Airport told local media that the young travelers were visibly shocked as they realized there was no booking in their names.
“They were trying to contact their parents,” the driver said, adding that he later helped the group find alternative accommodation.
The owners of the real villa, surprised to find nine unexpected guests at their gate, reportedly offered the visitors water and fresh grapes while they worked out what had happened and searched for another place to stay.
The case is expected to be referred to the Hellenic Police Cyber Crime Division for investigation.
How to Avoid Vacation Rental Scams
Cases like this remain relatively uncommon, but they highlight the importance of taking a few simple precautions when booking holiday accommodation online:
- Complete all payments through the booking platform’s official payment system.
- Never transfer money directly to a personal bank account (IBAN).
- Be cautious if you’re asked to continue the conversation via WhatsApp or private email.
- Contact the accommodation directly using publicly available contact information.
- Be wary of requests for immediate payment or claims that “someone else is about to book.”
- If you believe you’ve been scammed, contact your bank, the booking platform, and the police as quickly as possible.
With Crete welcoming millions of visitors every year, most holidays begin exactly as planned. Unfortunately, fraudsters know that peak travel season also brings opportunities to target unsuspecting travelers, making a little extra caution well worth the effort.
Source: Cretalive
