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Scammers exploit South Lake Tahoe visitors with fake rental listings

By CNN

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    SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KCRA) — South Lake Tahoe, a favorite destination for millions of vacationers, is grappling with scams involving fake vacation rental listings.

Ryan Lundquist, a visitor to the area, described his experience after renting a property through Airbnb.

“I was just surprised to see a placard on the back of the house that said ‘if you rented on Craigslist, you’ve been scammed.’ And so that’s the gist of it,” he said.

The warning highlights a fraud scheme in the area involving fake vacation rental listings, particularly on Craigslist.

“Most of the scams come off of Craigslist. Someone takes our photos and our description and posts it online onto Craigslist,” said Michelle Benedict of Pinnacle Lake Tahoe Getaways.

Benedict shared how these scams have financially impacted travelers.

“I have property back here about a block behind the office. A neighbor called one day and there was a young girl sitting in the driveway in tears,” she said. “She had gotten a work visa from South Africa and she paid someone $10,000 for the summer to rent a cabin that was a vacation rental. We ended up calling the police and they came and helped her find other accommodations.”

Benedict also pointed out that one of the biggest red flags is being asked to pay through cash apps like Venmo or other methods that offer little to no buyer protection. She recommended verifying the legitimacy of a rental before making any payments.

“The city of South Lake Tahoe maintains a database. You can search to see is it actually a real vacation rental,” Benedict said.

Experts added that unusually low prices are another major warning sign. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” they said.

They also advised that whether in the city or county, travelers should look for signs outside the property with information such as a permit number and contact details for code enforcement or to file a complaint.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Senate approves bill to fund government into December

Washington — The Senate approved a continuing resolution on Saturday to keep the government funded through Dec. 11, sending the bill to the House as Congress looks to avoid a government shutdown ahead of the midterm elections this fall. In a 90 to 6 vote, the Senate approved the measure, which would keep the government funded at current levels with some exceptions for six weeks beyond the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year. It now goes to the House, where lawmakers have pursued a different approach. Before leaving town for its August recess, the House approved a separate continuing resolution that would also fund the government into December. But the GOP-led bill was passed with widespread opposition from Democrats. In the Senate, which has a 60-vote threshold to advance most legislation, GOP leaders pursued a bipartisan approach to the funding extension — acknowledging the need for support across the aisle. Top Republican and Democratic appropriators in the Senate announced on Sunday an agreement on a stopgap funding bill. Democrats touted, among other wins, a provision in the bill closing a loophole preventing the administration from transferring funds to Border Patrol, after they refused to fund immigration enforcement agencies earlier this year. GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, praised the stopgap funding measure for avoiding "any poison pills." Democrats had sought additional provisions that could have imperiled its passage. But one provision could still pose hurdles in the House, should it take up the bill when it returns from recess later this month. The bill includes language to temporarily prevent political appointees in the administration from implementing a proposed rule about federal grants. Democrats have warned that the rule will allow the administration to cancel grants and "take even more federal funding hostage," and have sought to permanently ban the rule. But even the temporary ban could cause the measure to lose support among Republicans. If House Speaker Mike Johnson moves forward with the Senate bill, it could pick up support from Democrats to propel it to passage. But whether pressure from members of his own conference pushes him to pursue a different course remains to be seen.The Senate approved the measure as it churned through a number of priorities while preparing to depart for a five-week August recess. The House is set to return from its recess on Aug. 31, at which point the lower chamber will have a matter of weeks to coalesce behind a plan to keep the government funded. For the bulk of lawmakers, following two record breaking government shutdowns within the last 12 months, the appetite for another funding lapse appears low. And with the midterm elections quickly approaching, both sides of the aisle appear inclined to push off the fight for now. 
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