Kate and Rob Foster run the Dreamy Escapes retreat...
they had no idea what to do when these guests turned up to their front door Scammers created fake listing The couple were left without a place to stay READ MORE: Aussie couple tricked into loosing $500K By Pranav Harish For Daily Mail Australia Published: 05:28, 19 August 2024 | Updated: 05:41, 19 August 2024 e-mail View comments A couple who operate a holiday retreat were stunned when strangers turned up and claimed they had made a booking despite there being no records. Dreamy Escapes owners Kate and Rob Foster said they were confused after the tourists turned up at the door. The pair run a holiday retreat that comprises of several properties set on 10 acres of land in Hunchy, on the Sunshine Coast.
The tourists explained to Mr and Ms Foster they had reserved the Wunya Tiny House - a small two-bedroom home designed for couples - through Booking.com. The couple had no idea what they were talking about and turned the strangers away as the property had already been booked by other guests.
Mr and Ms Foster soon discovered that a scammer had created two fake property listings and was taking fake bookings. As a result, the travellers lost their money and didn't have a place to stay for the night. The incident is not the first for the couple with Kate and Rob's business targeted multiple times.
The travellers claimed they made a reservation for the Wunya Tiny House (pictured) run by Dreamy Escapes Accommodation, in Hunchy, on the Sunshine Coast Be the first to comment Be one of the first to comment Comments Now have YOUR say! Share your thoughts in the comments. Comment now The scammers created four separate listings in July alone. Mr and Ms Foster said they felt helpless after countless guests, who made similar reservations, turned up only to discover the property was booked out.
'We had a couple crying because they were so devastated,' Ms Foster told the ABC . The couple believe the booking information, including their logo and photos of the property, was copied from their Airbnb listings. The business owners had previously listed the property on the website, but cancelled it more than a year ago.
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now there's been an incredible update The two latest listings advertised that the property was located at different addresses on the same road. Dreamy Escapes are advertised as 'luxurious and peaceful' retreats ideal for singles and couples to 'rest, heal, create and nurture themselves within'. According to the business's website, Mr and Ms Foster are Yoga teachers and Family Constellation Therapists.
The couple also run several wellness workshops on the Sunshine Coast. Major online accommodation platforms around the world are being targeted by scammers and hackers, with many using AI to carry out their attacks. Chief Information Officer at Booking.
com Marnie Wilking said there was a 500 to 900 per cent increase in scams over the last 18 months. Kate (pictured left) and Rob Foster (pictured right) discovered the tourists were victims of a fake online property listing scam after they were forced to turn the travellers away The Scamwatch website, which is run by the ACCC, recorded 363 incidents of scams involving Booking.com in 2023.
Aussies lost more than $337,000 to these scams. Queensland University of Technology Professor Cassandra Cross said scammers target online accommodation services because so many people use them. Professor Cross said it is difficult for companies, who provide accommodation services, to stop fake listings as there are so many properties being advertised daily.
'The ability for offenders to replicate and create these fraudulent posts far outweighs the ability of platforms to remove them,' Professor Cross said. Mr and Ms Foster said they are no able to report the fake listings because they don't have a Booking.com account.
The couple have reported the issue to the ACCC and also sent multiple emails to Booking.com and called their customer service team several times. The pair have resorted to checking the Booking.
com site every day to detect fake listings. The couple claimed they had made a reservation for the property on Booking.com, but the business had not created a listing to advertise the accommodation (stock image) 'We couldn't stop people from booking on there and we couldn't stop people from turning up and knocking on our current guests' doors so it was a really difficult situation,' Mr Foster said.
The couple said the listings were up on the website for a week before they were taken down, but they have not been able to verify this with the company. A Booking.com spokesman said they are using various security measures to detect the scams and act immediately to remove fake listings.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Booking.com for further comment. Queensland Airbnb Brisbane Gold Coast Share or comment on this article: Kate and Rob Foster run the Dreamy Escapes retreat.
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