Avoid vacation rentals scams on Craigslist, verify seller credentials and pay safe

January 17, 2026
Safe travel in India

Recently many scams involving fake sellers duping unsuspecting buyers of vacation rental for international holiday destinations have some to our notice. We hereby caution buyers to properly verify seller credentials and then strike a deal. A case was recently unearthed in Craigslist Dallas where a scammer posing as a travel consultant of a popular travel agency offered tour packages to India at half the cost offered by cheapest agents. He claimed to provide bed and breakfast type rental from private households in India. Such frauds can target travelers planning anything from leisure trips to religious journeys like Char Dham Yatra from Delhi or even curated experiences such as The Best Night Time Tours in Mumbai for travel, so extra caution is always necessary.
We have compiled a quick guide that will help you identify scammers on craigslist selling travel deals and tour packages.
Please make sure you follow these when trading on Craigslist.

Verify the cost of the tour (product) or room rent from competitors. Get other quotes elsewhere. Because if something sounds unbelievable it probably is. This is especially important when booking popular itineraries like Char Dham Yatra from Haridwar, where unrealistically low prices should immediately raise a red flag.
Ask for a phone number and talk to them. Verify their domain expertise by asking question about the destination you are visiting. For instance, if someone claims to organize adventure experiences or shares content similar to Basic Horse Ride Guidelines for Beginners While on a trekking holiday, ask detailed questions to confirm their authenticity.
Ask for references from past clients who have used that property or bought their travel deal. Ask from reference and reviews from clients from your country else they could be fake like their craigslist advert.
Do not make the full payment in advance. Always prefer a part payment and pay the rest on arrival.
Do not direct payments via western union or Paypal. Prefer a safer alternative like Pay on Delivery. They ensure have a much higher degree of fraud protection by ensuring the buyer gets some sort of delivery before the seller get his payment.
Use a major credit card that has better charge back features.