Help - Was Scammed!

[c0reyann]

I was scammed, along with about 20 other families, by a man on Facebook renting DVC Vacation Points. So far there's about 3000 points that have been 'rented' out and none of us have valid reservations or stays. Many are upcoming and he's refusing to refund now that the jig is up.

I don't know if I can name and shame here but I want to know if there's anything I can do? Also if DVC has anyone that I can report him to? Maybe they won't care but I'd like to hope they would.

He's refusing refunds and of course demanded payment over Apple Pay/PayPal so we are fighting with our banks in hopes they take up the case.

Of course the sucky part is that we're all now left without reservations I'm hopeful I can make something happen for our group but I'm just so sad.

Anyway, any helpful ideas would be very welcome on what to do now. THANK YOU!

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

You should contact law enforcement.

 

[BeachClub2014]

I'm really sorry that this has happened to you and the others.

 

[AgentMama]

I agree with contacting law enforcement. I hope you're able to recoup your costs and salvage your vacation. Sorry you're dealing with this

 

[cm8]

I was scammed, along with about 20 other families, by a man on Facebook renting DVC Vacation Points. So far there's about 3000 points that have been 'rented' out and none of us have valid reservations or stays. Many are upcoming and he's refusing to refund now that the jig is up.

I don't know if I can name and shame here but I want to know if there's anything I can do? Also if DVC has anyone that I can report him to? Maybe they won't care but I'd like to hope they would.

He's refusing refunds and of course demanded payment over Apple Pay/PayPal so we are fighting with our banks in hopes they take up the case.

Of course the sucky part is that we're all now left without reservations I'm hopeful I can make something happen for our group but I'm just so sad.

Anyway, any helpful ideas would be very welcome on what to do now. THANK YOU!

Did you all file a police report? Also, did you all check to see if he was in fact an owner? How did soo many get scammed after hearing about the first ones? I’m soo sorry this happened to you and the others. I hope you get your money back!! Good luck securing future accommodations for your upcoming trip.

 

[CarolMN]

Really sorry this has happened to you. Other than reporting him to law enforcement and Facebook admin, I'm not sure what else can be done.

How did you pay him? If it was via credit card or paypal, you could try disputing the charge.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Reports like these are why we so diligently enforce the DIS Rent/Transfer Board rules. Makes it much more difficult for the scammers to prosper, especially if the prospective renters use due diligence in checking out the owners. I never recommend Facebook to anyone interested in either side of a DVC transaction.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Disney is unlikely to become involved. They stay out of rental transactions and are not a party to any rental transaction.

 

[Her Dotness]

I may be overly suspicious but wouldn't even rent from an individual I knew personally in real life unless I was confident they had substantial experience renting their points and were trustworthy.

This is why brokers exist--to vet both the owner and the prospective renter to assure as much as possible that everything's legitimate.

I do hope you get some justice at least.

Sadly, experience is too often the toughest teacher--giving the test and then the lesson.

 

[Sandisw]

Just saying I am sorry this happened to you and hope involving law enforcement helps to hold accountable.

DVC will not become involved because this was a private transaction between you and an owner.

 

[Chuck S]

As the others have said, try contacting credit card companies, PayPal and banks, if your PayPal account was linked to a bank account. Report them to law enforcement, hopefully those people that were scammed have valid contact info for the scammers. You are correct, our boards do not allow names or reviews of rental transactions.
If you are looking to rent points (reservation) directly from an owner, be sure to do research, get names, phone numbers, contact info, email addresses and verify them as much as possible. If possible, verify DVC Deed on a county website in the county where the DVC is located.

 

[CarolynFH]

Another DVC owner chiming in to say I'm sorry all of you were victimized like this, and I hope that law enforcement will prosecute this individual.

 

[lowlight]

What a lowlife. Hope he gets what’s coming.

 

[Great3]

Very sad to hear, especially since DVC points isn't a small chuck of change. You can only hope, after filing disputes with PayPal and credit card companies. Good Luck.

I hope you did at least report to the Facebook admin. At this point, you can only hope to help others, because these same scammers will keep doing this.

Great3

 

[sndral]

…
I don't know if I can name and shame here but I want to know if there's anything I can do? Also if DVC has anyone that I can report him to? Maybe they won't care but I'd like to hope they would.
…
Of course the sucky part is that we're all now left without reservations I'm hopeful I can make something happen for our group but I'm just so sad.
…

It would be unwise to ‘name and shame’ because the person you sent your money to may be impersonating a DVC owner. Sure the con claimed to be Owner X, but for all you know they lied about that too.
There is no one at DVC to ‘report him to’ because there is literally nothing DVC can do other than provide information to LE & even then they can only do so pursuant to a valid subpoena.
Report the scam to Facebook & whomever adm.s the group where the scam occurred, report it to law enforcement, seek redress through any insurance you secured when you rented, and/or seek reimbursement through your method of payment.

 

[c0reyann]

Did you all file a police report? Also, did you all check to see if he was in fact an owner? How did soo many get scammed after hearing about the first ones? I’m soo sorry this happened to you and the others. I hope you get your money back!! Good luck securing future accommodations for your upcoming trip.

Yes, I've filed a police report. He is an owner but only has 100 points through Aulani. At this point there's over 3000 points he rented.

 

[c0reyann]

Very sad to hear, especially since DVC points isn't a small chuck of change. You can only hope, after filing disputes with PayPal and credit card companies. Good Luck.

I hope you did at least report to the Facebook admin. At this point, you can only hope to help others, because these same scammers will keep doing this.

Great3

He's been removed from some of the groups but not all. They knew about him being shady back in early February but sadly let him stay when he said the fake photoshopped reservation he sent over was a "mistake" and "misunderstanding" and they believed him.

 

[Sandisw]

It would be unwise to ‘name and shame’ because the person you sent your money to may be impersonating a DVC owner. Sure the con claimed to be Owner X, but for all you know they lied about that too.
There is no one at DVC to ‘report him to’ because there is literally nothing DVC can do other than provide information to LE & even then they can only do so pursuant to a valid subpoena.
Report the scam to Facebook & whomever adm.s the group where the scam occurred, report it to law enforcement, seek redress through any insurance you secured when you rented, and/or seek reimbursement through your method of payment.

And, to add, we do not allow people to post personal information here on the DIS (so no name/shame allowed). While these cases are rare, it is sad to even hear about them and one of the risks of renting.

 

[thank_the_phoenicians88]

I hope law enforcement catches him, locks him up, and throws away the key. Butttt with our criminal justice system, he will likely just get a slap on the wrist, community service, and will just start a new Facebook profile and resume his scamming. Hopefully your credit card company will allow you to reverse the charges.

 

[cm8]

Yes, I've filed a police report. He is an owner but only has 100 points through Aulani. At this point there's over 3000 points he rented.

Oh my gosh!!! I have no words!!!! What he did should be considered a felony Stay away from renting on FB, next time ( if you feel safe to do so) check out our rental boards here. Most of us are honest, and will be in touch step by step resolving any issues that occur. I know I maintain contact until my renters have completed their stay because I don’t want issues for either one of us.

Please don’t let this one bad experience scare you away from renting in the future.

 

[cvjw]

We have rented out thousands of our points and always use a broker. We like having that extra layer of protection - someone you can call if things go south. OP, consider using a broker next time. Sorry This happened to you.