2A • July 13, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Holiday spoiled by rental scam
Renters lost $1,400
after fake ad
AVOID
SCAMS
By Brenna Visser
Tips from the Federal Trade
Commission on how to
avoid scams.
Cannon Beach Gazette
When Carolyn O’Brien got a
phone call from a family saying
they rented her home in Cannon
Beach, she knew something was
wrong.
The renter, who asked to remain
anonymous, had been to the beach
town many times with his family
over 20 years. For the Fourth of
July, he found a rental online but
was perplexed when John Robson,
the person who claimed to own the
home, never showed up.
A neighbor informed him there
was no John Robson and put him in
touch with O’Brien.
When the renter told O’Brien he
rented her house on Craigslist, her
heart sank. O’Brien’s family exclu-
sively uses the vacation rental site
VRBO. It became clear someone
had copied her ad and scammed
the family.
O’Brien filed a police report.
The family was able to find a rental
in Manzanita, but their excitement
for the holiday trip — and $1,400
— was already lost.
• Pay with a credit card.
• Be wary of cheap rates.
• Check the contract.
• Avoid third-party sites.
“The scammer knew we were
receiving the whole family — in-
cluding our 2-year-old grand-
daughter — and even that fact
didn’t phase him,” the renter said.
This is the second time
O’Brien’s house has been used in
a scam.
“We’ve been doing this for de-
cades. It wasn’t an issue before
electronic booking became avail-
able,” she said. “(This home) has
been in our family for generations.
So when something like this hap-
pens, it’s almost personal. How
dare you take our house and scam
somebody?”
Vacation rental scams are not
uncommon. According to the
American Hotel & Lodging As-
sociation, 15 million rental scams
last year cost Americans $1.3 bil-
lion.
O’Brien’s case is one of only
a few Cannon Beach has seen
in awhile, Cannon Beach Police
Chief Jason Schermerhorn said,
but he noted it likely happens more
often than reported.
“I think sometimes people don’t
come forward because of embar-
rassment, or they think you can’t
track down the scammer,” he said.
“But people should report, because
there could be something different
about your story that could be the
detail that helps us find them.”
Police initially tried to track
down the fake advertisement and
the phone number the family used
to communicate about the rental,
but both were already wiped by
the time the report was filed. Be-
cause the family used a check to
pay in full, the payment could not
be tracked or stopped like a credit
card transaction.
This is what makes investigat-
ing these cases difficult, Schermer-
horn said.
“It’s frustrating because it feels
like there really is no recourse,”
O’Brien said.
While many local rental compa-
nies have yet to face scams, many,
like Linda Beck-Sweeney of Can-
non Beach Vacation Rentals, take
precautions.
Properties can only be booked
through the company’s website
or another accredited platform,
Beck-Sweeney said. She only ac-
cepts credit cards and checks every
guest in person. Often, scammers
will give customers access codes
before they arrive at a property,
and then disappear when the code
doesn’t work.
Her company also monitors
sites like Craigslist. But this is a
time-consuming task for a small
business, she said, making it un-
likely the team catches every fake
advertisement.
“We just live in fear of some-
one’s vacation getting ruined,” she
said.
While finding the person who
scammed the family who showed
up at her door is unlikely, O’Brien
hopes people looking to vacation
on the coast will use her story as
a lesson.
“There’s not much we can do to
make people stop doing this, but
the word needs to get out for peo-
ple to understand to not use Craig-
slist to do a rental, and that you
need to be able to use something
credible,” she said.
Suarez aims to
make HRAP
more inclusive
Suarez from Page 1A
“I remember one day there was a
man just walking all over the marine
garden. I approached him in Spanish
to explain to him why that wasn’t al-
lowed, and all of sudden he leaves and
comes back with like seven other rel-
atives,” Suarez said. “They were ask-
ing questions about the environment
they otherwise probably wouldn’t have
asked.”
When Suarez isn’t working, she
likes to spend time — you guessed it
— on the beach.
“It really is my life,” she laughed.
Other than the occasional craving
for sun and decent Cuban cuisine, Su-
arez said she has found a home in the
Pacific Northwest, with dreams to pur-
sue marine science at the University of
Washington.
For now, she’s excited to see what
her background and passion for envi-
ronmental science can do to help keep
Haystack Rock healthy.
“It’s all about awareness. Knowl-
edge is power. There’s been a small
disconnect with that,” Suarez said, in
reference to a lack of Spanish materi-
als. “But I’m happy to do my part to
fill this little gap.”
CANNON BEACH POLICE LOG
June 22
camping was reported.
June 28
Three incidents of prohibited overnight
camping were reported.
3:38 p.m., Mo’s: A child reported
missing was found before police
arrival.
One incident of prohibited overnight
camping is reported.
11:26 p.m., Sitka: A report of a possi-
ble domestic altercation turned out
to be two brothers wrestling.
June 25
June 23
Four incidents of prohibited overnight
camping are reported.
Seven incidents of prohibited overnight
camping were reported.
June 26
4:40 a.m., Seaside police request
Cannon Beach police provide cov-
er for a disturbance involving three
males and a shotgun. No enforce-
ment action was taken.
4:47 p.m., Hemlock and Watts Way:
Police respond to a report of a fe-
male being shoved into a vehicle. The
woman and her companion deny
any issue. No further action taken.
June 24
One incident of prohibited overnight
Three incidents of prohibited over-
night camping are reported.
3:39 p.m., N. Spruce: Two transient
men reported to be smoking mar-
ijuana on the deck of a store took
off before police arrival.
June 27
1:27 p.m., N. Hemlock: The owner of
a business reported that someone
who had been previously trespassed
kept returning to the restaurant.
Police advised the subject not to
return.
5:39 p.m., Beach at Schooner’s Cove:
Police respond to a report of a teen-
ager throwing sticks at seagulls. One
bird appeared injured and unable
to fly. Subject left the beach prior to
police arrival. Police searched for the
person but were unable to locate.
June 29
One subject was warned for overnight
camping.
by a HRAP volunteer. Police locat-
ed the subject walking away and
warned them.
unknown subject via PayPal.
July 4
July 2
Five incidents of overnight camping
were reported.
2:16 p.m., Silver Point: Police assist
another agency.
Four incidents of overnight camping
were reported.
July 1
4:51 p.m., Hug Point: Police assist
other agency with male stuck on
the rocks.
Four incidents of overnight camping
were reported.
10:01 a.m., Highway 101, Arch Cape
Tunnel: Police assist fire department
with a vehicle that caught on fire.
Five incidents of prohibited overnight
camping are reported.
1:16 p.m., Warren Way: Police re-
spond to a complaint about a dog
inside a vehicle. Outside tempera-
ture was 59 degrees; the internal
temperature inside the car was 97
degrees. Owner returned as police
were checking the car.
12:24 p.m., Haystack Rock: A subject
who refused to leave the protected
area around the rock was reported
3:30 p.m., Police headquarters: A
short term rental vacation scam was
reported. Victim paid $1400 to an
12:30 p.m., Midtown: A lost dog
was reported.
June 30
July 3
Three incidents of overnight camping
were reported.
12:24 p.m., Third and Spruce: A
young male reported missing was
found walking on the road; he was
subsequently reunited with family.
8:35 p.m., 200 block Gogona: Call-
er reports male urinating outside.
When caller spoke to the individual,
they say the individual was extreme-
ly rude. Police contact individual and
warn of disorderly conduct.
3:13 a.m., Highway 101, Milepost 3:
Police assist Oregon State police and
Seaside police with single vehicle
crash involving a DUII. Subject had a
felony revoke on their driver’s license
and was also carrying firearms.
9:11 p.m., Beach and Adams: Illegal
fireworks were confiscated.
10:05 p.m., 200 block W. Gogona:
Police respond to a report of ille-
gal mortars on the beach. Officers
responding said the report was un-
founded and all fireworks were legal.
10:08 p.m., Breaker’s Point: Police
respond to a report of possibly ille-
gal fireworks on beach. All fireworks
found were legal.
10:21 p.m., W. Surfcrest: Subjects
warned for illegal fireworks.
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