{"id":2954,"date":"2026-07-23T13:05:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T13:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2954"},"modified":"2026-07-23T13:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T13:05:03","slug":"watch-for-fake-vacation-rental-listings-in-hawaii-officials-warn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2954","title":{"rendered":"Watch for fake vacation rental listings in Hawaii, officials warn"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – State officials are warning the public of increased scam activity involving fake vacation rental listings. This is as Hawaii already has one of the country\u2019s highest rates of rental scams per capita. <\/p>\n

Read more Hawaii AG challenges EPA\u2019s disapproval of HECO air pollution reduction plan<\/a><\/p>\n

With more budget-conscious and last-minute travelers looking for places on Airbnb, Craigslist and social media, experts urge deal seekers to be wary of listings that look too good to be true.<\/p>\n

Scammers will \u201ctake the real listing from the trusted websites, duplicate it, and then repost them on social media, fake websites, or even on legitimate rental platforms,\u201d explained Radji Tolentino, enforcement attorney for the State Office of Consumer Protection. \u201cBut what makes this especially dangerous is how convincing these listings can look. The photos are real, but the listing itself is not.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a victim responds to a fake ad, the scammer demands payment quickly through wire transfer, payment apps, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. That\u2019s a red flag. <\/p>\n

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\u201cAfter the money is sent, the victim either arrives to find the rental doesn\u2019t exist or learns it was never available in the first place,\u201d Tolentino said.<\/p>\n

Another red flag is a daily rate that\u2019s far lower than similar properties in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see a beachfront condo that\u2019s hundreds of dollars cheaper than everything else nearby, that\u2019s a common tactic scammers use to lure people into booking quickly without thinking it through,\u201d Tolentino said.<\/p>\n

His advice? Look out for vague information and poor writing in listings. If the account is brand new and doesn\u2019t have reviews, it could be a scam.<\/p>\n

Read more First Alert Forecast: It\u2019s All About Fausto<\/a><\/p>\n

To check if a listing is legitimate, request to see proof of ownership or ask for a virtual property tour through a video call. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe also strongly recommend doing a bit of independent verification before you book,\u201d Tolentino said. \u201cThat can include searching the property address online to confirm it exists, doing reverse image search on the listing photos to see if they appear elsewhere, checking whether the property is legally registered if applicable, and looking at nearby listings to see if pricing is consistent with what you see online.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you think you\u2019ve been scammed, stop all communication. Take screenshots of the ad and your conversations and report it to law enforcement and your credit card company.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo your homework, look at the ad. If it\u2019s too good to be true, basically, it probably is,\u201d Tolentino said.<\/p>\n

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For more information on scams and how to protect yourself, visit the OCP website at cca.hawaii.gov\/ocp or call 1-844-808-DCCA (3222).<\/p>\n

Nonprofit Operation Shamrock also offers education and fraud victim services. Go to operationshamrock.org to find about more.<\/p>\n

Read more Woman identified in deadly head-on crash on Highway 11 in Volcano<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scammers are creating fake ads using real listings and pressuring people to pay quickly to hold the property.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWatch for fake vacation rental listings in Hawaii, officials warn - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2954\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Watch for fake vacation rental listings in Hawaii, officials warn - Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Scammers are creating fake ads using real listings and pressuring people to pay quickly to hold the property.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2954\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-23T13:05:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2954#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2954\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"headline\":\"Watch for fake vacation rental listings in Hawaii, officials warn\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-23T13:05:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2954\"},\"wordCount\":492,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2954#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2b51bd4f68b18c9ab42b6553e7c580f6.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2954#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2954\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2954\",\"name\":\"Watch for fake vacation rental listings in Hawaii, officials warn - 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