Hey everyone, I wanted to share this so it doesn't happen to anyone else.
I'm a property owner who was trying to re-list my properties on VRBO after being away from the platform for a while. I hit a technical issue during onboarding and called customer support. They promised a specialist would call me back. A week went by — nothing.
Out of frustration I posted about it on X. That's when the scam started.
Someone posing as a VRBO rep responded to my post and connected me with a guy named "Gerald" who called me from 917-730-4928. He was smooth, professional, and convincing. He told me VRBO owed me money and walked me through an app called LEMFI to supposedly receive the refund. Instead, $1,938 was pulled out of my checking account — processed in Kenyan currency.
When I confronted him he asked me to send a screenshot to his WhatsApp at 618-218-2192. That's when I knew it was a scam.
It gets worse — I then received a follow-up email from clientrelationscrew@gmail.composing as VRBO Guest Relations, telling me to keep working with Gerald. When I canceled my debit card to stop further withdrawals, Gerald told me he "couldn't help me anymore."
I've reported it to my bank, the FTC, and VRBO directly. VRBO's Resolution Team is now involved but the money is still processing.
If you're a VRBO host and you post a complaint on X — be extremely careful who contacts you. Real VRBO reps will never ask you to use a third-party payment app or tell you the company "owes you money" before you can onboard.
Stay safe out there. Happy to answer questions.
I'd suggest posting this in r/vrbo, r/AirBnB, r/Scams, and r/personalfinance — you'll get a wide audience and it may help others who've been targeted the same way. Would you like any tweaks?