Brimming with imagination, scammers adapt to seasonality. According to figures relayed by Capital, the Ministry of the Interior has seen an upsurge in complaints for transfer scams concerning vacation rentals since April, but also notary fees or craftsman’s invoices.

Summer, conducive to relaxation and idleness, is also high season for the most malicious. These complaints relate to hacked bank identifiers as part of a simple but well-established operation by bandits.

“The criminals intercept the RIB and IBAN of the rental owners when the latter send their bank identifier by e-mail for payment (…) The hacking occurs when the bank details are exchanged by e-mail” , summarizes Capital. Same process for craftsmen or notaries.

The sum paid by the customers has been debited, but has already been stolen by the scammers who immediately place it in another bank account in order to prevent a possible return of the funds. The heart of the scam? It all happens very quickly, leaving very little time for the victim to realize they’ve just been tricked. When she realizes it, it’s already too late…

If you have been the victim of such a scam, you must immediately file a complaint against X. A refund may be considered if you have the possibility of reproaching negligence on the part of your bank or your booking platform, for example.