Description

Last January 2022, I browsed vacation rentals in Wisconsin on the Vrbo website and didn't find any openings for the dates I wanted. Soon after that, I got an email from someone named Damian Janssen, claiming that he worked for VrBo with last minute openings. We exchanged several emails. He told me my dates were open for a particular rental property and that I would need to transfer money through WISE to a bank account in Ireland under the name of David Dahan for $1400. This was the same price as listed on Vrbo. He sent me official-looking forms to fill out with David Dahan's name and the name of the owner on the Vrbo website. I sent the money via credit card and never heard from him again after he acknowledged receipt of the money. In a previous email, he said he would meet me at the rental property when I arrived. I attempted to email a few months later to confirm and ask questions, but the email address came back as not valid. This was not typical for a Vrbo transaction. Usually, Vrbo sends reminders and updates. I then contacted my credit card company (AT&T/Citi Cards) and after a lengthy "investigation", they told me the merchant refused to return the money and did not recognize the emails. So, they closed the case and I did not get my money back. I discovered the fraud about a week before I was to leave for my vacation. I called the owner listed in Vrbo and she said that she never heard of anyone named Damian Janssen or David Dahan. She also said she never accepts payments outside the Vrbo platform. I learned a hard lesson. I wish I could talk to the person who worked on my investigation at AT&T, but I apparently can't. I also wish I could talk to this David Dahan person who absconded with my money! ARRRGGGH! Let this be a lesson to anyone who is searching for vacation rentals!