HOBOKEN — A Hoboken resident looking forward to a relaxing week on the Maine waterfront told authorities he was scammed out of almost $1,500 last week after the homeowner he thought he was renting from turned out to be a fraud, according to a police report.
According to the report, the man found the property on VRBO.com, a website that allows homeowners to advertise their houses as vacation rentals, and contacted its owner via email.
The victim booked the house, supposedly located in Northeast Harbor, Maine, for eight nights at a price of $1,463. After speaking by phone with the supposed owner, who said his name was Tim, the victim signed a lease and wire transferred the money to the man’s account, said the report.
The cost was broken down by rental ($900), security deposits ($500) and state tax fees ($63), the report said.
As the date of the vacation (this week) approached, the victim began to feel nervous after having not heard from Tim, and contacted VRBO.com to see if they could verify the property and its owner. The company confirmed that the property was fake, the report said, and advised him to cancel the transaction with his credit card company.
The victim also filed a complaint with the U.S. Secret Service branch in Newark.
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