A DURBAN woman lost her money after booking into bogus holiday accommodation.
LaVerne Rampono from Durban booked accommodation in Margate only to find out that she had been scammed.
She saw an advertisement for a holiday home in Hibiscus Avenue, Margate.
“The price of the accommodation was R9 000 from December 23 to 31, and it suited my budget. I phoned and made a booking for the nine days,” said Mrs Rampono.
She said she dealt with a ‘Leanne’ but didn’t know her surname.
She paid a deposit of R4 000. A few days later, Mrs Rampono became suspicious when she asked to see photos of the home.
“My suspicion faded when she said that she had sent photos, but of the wrong place, and she assured us that she would send the correct photos,” said Mrs Rampono.
She waited but received no calls and no photos. Finally, after numerous calls, ‘Leanne’ sent photos, but the family was not happy with what they saw.
Mrs Rampono and her family decided to come to Margate and view the holiday home on November 13.
Mrs Rampono was devastated to find the cottage she had booked looked nothing like the photos ‘Leanne’ had sent to her.
“We walked into the home and found a domestic worker cleaning the house. The home looked nothing like the photos. We asked the cleaner some questions but she did not know what we were taking about and asked us to contact the owner, who informed us it was his private home,” she said.
It was the only time of the year when she could spend quality time with her family from Durban and Johannesburg.
And she has lost out on the R4000.
She has since found alternate accommodation in Hibberdene, but her holiday spending budget has been negatively affected.
The matter was reported at the Margate police station.
Police spokesman Captain Gerald Mfeka said Margate police are investigating a fraud case.
“It is believed that ‘Leanne’ is operating from Centurion. Unfortunately incidents such as these happen every year,” he said.
No arrests have been made.
Capt Mfeka urged holidaymakers to to their homework first, before booking and paying a deposit.
“Contact the local tourism authority in the area you are visiting, or get advice from one of the local letting agencies. One phone call can save a lot of trouble,” he said.
