Holiday-Rentals > Advertise with us > Owner FAQ > What is phishing and how do I protect myself?
Q: What is phishing and how do I protect myself?
A: Phishing is the practise of attempting to gain sensitive information such as passwords and usernames, usually by sending fraudulent emails which appear to be from a legitimate company or service you know such as a bank or an email provider. These emails typically ask you to update or verify your account details by clicking on a link which leads to a counterfeit website which looks just like the real thing. When you enter your username and password on the counterfeit site, the details are captured and used to login to your real account for fraudulent activity.

How does phishing affect holiday home owners and their guests?
YOUR BOOKING ENQUIRIES ARE EXTREMELY VALUABLE TO A FRAUDSTER and attempts to gain access to this information are on the increase. If a fraudster manages to get access to your email or advertising accounts, they can also get access to your enquiries. The fraudster can then use your account and enquiry details to request and receive payments from your unsuspecting guests by posing as you, the owner of the holiday home.

There are two common methods of phishing used to try to gain access to your enquiries:

Attempts to get access to your personal email account
We have recently been notified of a number of phishing attempts where fraudsters have sent emails claiming to be from Gmail and asking the user to click on a link which directed them to a fake website where their username and password could be captured.

Attempts to gain access to your account on a site where you advertise a property
Whilst HomeAway Holiday-Rentals and other HomeAway brands have tight security settings and our systems have not been breached, fraudsters may attempt to gain access to your accounts by sending emails claiming to be from a site where you advertise your property. Again, the emails typically ask you to click a link to a fake website where your username and password would be captured and used to login to your real account.

How to protect yourself and your guests from phishing
Unfortunately, this type of online fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated and it is becoming extremely hard to identify that an email or website may be fraudulent. However there are several simple things you can do to protect yourself:

  • Never click on a link within any email that you feel is suspicious, especially those which request you to update or verify your account information. Instead, open a new internet browser and type in the web address of the site you want to visit
  • If you become suspicious of an email which claims to be from a company or email provider you use for renting your property, please do not click on any link and forward the email to Customer Support for advice
  • Always have the most up-to-date anti virus software and firewalls
  • Make sure your passwords are difficult to guess and contain a combination of letters and numbers. Never give your passwords to anyone.
  • Never use the same usernames and passwords on different accounts