How the Fake Guest Scam Unfolds in Angoulême

Several short-term rental owners in the Angoulême area have been targeted by a scam that turns the usual vacation fraud script on its head—posing not as fake landlords, but as fake guests. The Pays d’Angoulême tourist office has issued an alert after multiple property owners received suspicious booking requests in recent weeks.

The typical approach: a would-be renter contacts the owner through a listing site, asking about availability and the required deposit. In one reported case, a man identifying himself as “Marcelin Caron” inquired about a studio priced at €350 for a week in October, offering to pay a 50% deposit by bank transfer. A few days later, the same name appeared in a separate WhatsApp message from a different phone number—an immediate red flag.

Once communication moves to private messaging, the fraudster proposes to send a copy of their ID and requests a rental contract. They then claim to have already made the payment, often via services like La Poste or MoneyGram, and supply a fake transfer receipt. The owner is told that an extra €53 “online transfer validation fee” was added, and to retrieve the funds they must contact a so-called “director” and—critically—pay additional charges themselves.

Why This Manual Fraud Is Harder to Stop

A Manual Operation That Evades Automated Blocks

Unlike many rental scams that rely on bulk, scripted messages caught by spam filters, these attempts are crafted manually. The fraudsters write personalized, polite notes without obvious errors, making them appear genuine while bypassing the automated safety checks many platforms deploy. This manual approach means the usual “report and block” tools offer little protection—owners must rely on their own judgment.

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A Double Threat: Theft of Money and Identity

The immediate goal is to extract cash through fake fees, but the scheme often serves a second purpose: harvesting personal and property details. By obtaining the owner’s bank information, ID, and precise rental terms, scammers can later impersonate the real owner and list the property themselves, duping genuine travellers in a classic “ghost rental” scam. The tourist office warns that this two-stage fraud is increasingly common.

Red Flags Every Rental Owner Should Spot

  • Treat multiple booking requests from the same identity as a serious warning sign. In the Angoulême case, the same name appeared from two different phone numbers. Any duplication is suspicious.
  • Never pay money to receive money. Legitimate rental deposits and payments do not require the host to cover “validation”, “release” or any other upfront fee. If a guest says you must pay to unlock a transfer, it is a scam.
  • Keep all communication and payment on the booking platform. Fraudsters push for WhatsApp, SMS or email to escape the platform’s protections. Insist on using the platform’s secure messaging and payment system.
  • Verify payment directly with your bank before sharing any contract or ID. Do not rely on a transfer receipt or screenshot—wait until the funds are cleared in your account.
  • If you suspect an attempt, alert your listing platform and local tourist office. Reporting helps others avoid the same trap and can assist in tracking repeat offenders.