Local GNR stations have seen a steady trickle of disappointed and angry families whose holiday dreams have been dashed by scammers.
On Saturday alone, eight families complained to the police that the properties they had booked either did not exist or already had someone in residence.
Tourists either had paid in full or had left sizeable deposits, according to information from the Faro GNR command.
The majority of cases concerned properties in the Portimão and Vilamoura areas.
"People had booked a property through a website only to discovered that there was no house, or that there was a house but another holidaying family already was in residence,” according to the GNR.
Advanced rental payments of between €90 and €200 had been made, and some had paid in full, mostly by bank transfer," added the GNR.
The official complaints now will be investigated to determine who was behind this series of particularly nasty scams.
In 2012 the court in Matosinhos sentenced a man to an eight months suspended prison sentence after he cheated a family out of €900 as a deposit on renting a villa with pool in Castro Marim, Faro. He was only caught as he was stupid enough to providing the victims with his real bank account details.
The Judicial Police arrested one suspected of this type of scam in 2013, but this years there have been no arrests according to the GNR. There are 'ongoing investigations' but the Portuguese authorities lack the willpower or resources to catch those responsible for a crime which, although nasty, is not widespread.
"We advise tourists to search for information on the Internet about the person from whom they want to rent the property to see if someone already has complained about that name. It always is safer to book through official intermediaries such as travel agencies, central reservations, or tour operators" advises David Thomas from Safe Communities Algarve, adding that "the number of known cases of fraud is low relative to the large number of tourists coming to the Algarve, this is positive and shows that the situation is not yet alarming."
This brings up the whole question of the illegal holiday rental market sector and will strengthen the case for holidaymakers only to make bookings with owners of properly registered properties, or use specialst agencies with a good web history.
There are at least two million overnight stays per year in Portugal in unregistered accommodation which costs the Portuguese treasury a roughly estimated €40 million in lost taxes.
The families that have had their holidays ruined by these scams will have reported the address of the properties concerned. The next step is for the council to pay a visit if the property does not have a, Alojamento Local rental license, the second stage is for the taxman to drop by.
The fines for operating without a license are between €2,500 and €3,700 for individuals.
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Safe Communities Algarve has comprehensive advice on the subject of illegal lettings and advice on ways to reduce the risk of holiday scams which can be found on their website at the following links:
http://www.safecommunitiesalgarve.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/How-to-avoid-Bogus-Holiday-Rental-Scams-Hints-and-Tips1.pdf
http://www.safecommunitiesalgarve.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Illegal-lettings-July-2014.pdf
