Polish woman cheated on vacation in Croatia. She only realized in front of the villa gate
A 34-year-old Polish woman was deceived by people who offered her hiring a villa on vacation. The woman only understood her mistake in Croatia.
The Provincial Police Headquarters in Lublin decided to publicize the case of a Polish citizen who applied to the police station as a victim of fraud. The 34-year-old from the Łuków commune transferred over 800 euros (about 3.4 thousand zlotys) to people who claimed the owners of the villa in Croatia. In fact, the property was owned by another person.
Holidays in Croatia. Poles paid fraudsters
The Polish woman only convinced her mistake, after driving 1500 km. She explained that she found an advertisement on the rental of the villa on social media. She provided her personal data to draw up a contract and calm about vacation, appeared on the spot at the appointed time. All this to find a latched gate and a closed door.
As it turned out, the Polish woman was not the only one. The real owners of the villa admitted that the 34-year-old and her friends were not the first to knock on their door with the conviction that they were just starting vacation in a rented facility.
On this occasion, KWP in Lublin once again warned everyone against hasty transfers when we do not know the recipient well. “Criminals can perfectly impersonate existing hotels or guesthouses and use forged documents,” police experts emphasized.
The services emphasize that in order to avoid problems, a few good rules should be remembered:
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Always use proven advertising portals and payment services,
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verify opinions about the facility in several independent sources,
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Check the contact details and hotel/guest house address on official websites,
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Never send a scan of ID card or other documents to unknown persons,
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If the offer seems “too attractive” to be true, give up any transactions.
Separate warnings for tourists who are going to Croatia were also published by the Polish embassy in this country:
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Don’t be afraid to ask for additional photos or a short virtual presentation of the apartment,
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Beware of suspicious photos – they can come from photo banks. Check them, e.g. using a Google image search,
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Offers published many times with different prices can mean the risk of “overbooking”, i.e. renting the same place to several people,
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Document the condition of the apartment in the pictures or film at arrival and departure in the event of claims for damages after checking out.
