The email that led to the scam: Israelis who arrived at a villa that doesn't exist in Rhodes

Anat from central Israel and her friends fell victim to a financial scam after searching for accommodation on Booking and being directed to the owner's email. The 'property manager' instructed her to make a bank transfer of 1,540 euros. When the group arrived at the address in Rhodes, it turned out that a local family lived there. 'We found ourselves wandering in 40-degree heat with no place to sleep.'

Anat from central Israel planned a friends' vacation in Rhodes, Greece, for six adults and booked accommodation on Booking.com. After the property owner did not confirm the request within 24 hours, Booking sent her his email address and suggested she contact him directly. In the email, he directed her to the 'property manager' on WhatsApp, who pretended to be a TripAdvisor representative and sent a payment link. When the link didn't work, she instructed Anat to make a SWIFT bank transfer of 1,540 euros. Two days after the transfer, the woman confirmed receipt and said 'we're waiting for you.' Upon the group's arrival at the address in Rhodes, they discovered a local family living there, and a neighbor told them it was the third time that month that people had been scammed this way. They had to find alternative accommodation in the city center. Anat said she never suspected anything, mainly because the email came through Booking, and urged others to be careful.