Scammers are impersonating Ocean Lakes!
USE EXTREME CAUTION booking a rental site!
If something feels “off” do not book! Read about the red flags and scam resources below. See a list of reported scam sites below.
Use extreme Caution and Due Diligence when booking anywhere other than OceanLakesProperties.com. The hard truth is that YOU DO NOT KNOW who is behind that computer screen or mobile device as you enter your personal details and payment information.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers reported nearly 50,000 vacation rental scam complaints in 2024, with losses totaling more than $10 million.
If you are a Victim of an Ocean Lakes Rental Scam:
Our Team cares very much about our guests. You may alert us to something new. Please call our team and let us know about your Ocean Lakes scam experience at (843) 828-4829.
Report the scammer to the FBI and FTC – see details below.
2 Ways to Rent in Ocean Lakes…
Rent from Ocean Lakes Properties!
Rent directly from us – we built Ocean Lakes Family Campground and have been here for 54 years! The official Ocean Lakes rentals are through us, via Ocean Lakes Properties (OLP). You can book online at OceanLakesProperties.com or Call our Team at (800) 845-2229. Ocean Lakes Properties is the only one with a Scam Free Guarantee. We deal directly with the homeowner. We have one official website for rentals (OceanLakesProperties.com). Our Official Facebook, Instagram, Radio Station, Podcasts and YouTube channels are linked from OceanLakes.com or OceanLakesProperties.com.
Rent Privately…
Rent privately from the homeowner or their authorized property manager. Proceed with caution! There are good private rentals, but this is where things can go wrong very quickly. Ocean Lakes features 2,579 Annual Lease Sites, most of these sites feature beach houses and mobile homes (we also have 859 campsites). Some of the homeowners rent their home online. They utilize hundreds of social media sites (Facebook pages and groups, etc.), private websites, and even OTAs such as VRBO and AirBnB. Scam victims have named all of these online platforms during conversations when asked about their rental scam experience.
DANGER! Known Scam Sites
Cybercriminals are monetizing trust in our brand name while using our trademarks – logo, name, etc. These thieves take content from homeowners’ legitimate private rental sites and pages. It’s easy to steal photos, house information, names, numbers, email addresses because it’s ALL online.
• OceanLakesVacationRentals.com
• oclakes.com
• OceanLakesHomesRentals.com
• HomeowneratOceanLake.com
It’s heartbreaking for our Teammates to see families arrive for their long-awaited vacation only to find out they have been a victim of a cybercriminal. They have no place to stay AND they have lost thousands of dollars. Our Team tries to assist victims in finding a site through Ocean Lakes Properties, but during the summer vacation season, holidays, and special events our OLP rental sites book up.
EEK! Social Media sites, Texts, and Messaging …Risky!
“ISO the nicest place to stay, with pets, for a deal.”
Vacation planning can be fun and stressful. Platforms like Facebook are great resources – you see comments from others, recommendations, ask questions, ask for suggestions, and seek feedback finding a place… it’s a scam victim buffet for cybercriminals.
Scammers are very “helpful” in finding a great house in Ocean Lakes at an unbelievable price the week before July 4th [major red flags]. They will comment, share their info, DM you… DO NOT fall for it.
We’ve seen some [scary] things on Facebook.
Groups are not safer. We have seen Groups use chat bots to “join” Facebook users to their Facebook Group. The users have never “asked” to join.
Beware, you may find yourself an administrator of a scam page or group – one you did not know about! They take names and photos from existing profiles and create groups/pages to scam others. TIP: Check the content and creation date of Groups and Pages.
Try to Confirm Information about a Private Rental in Ocean Lakes
Ocean Lakes cannot give out the homeowners’ info. But you can call our Team at (843) 238-5636 or (800) 845-2229 to confirm the contact information (name, phone number, email). If your information and our info is a match, this is not a guarantee. Additional tips:
Call the number! If they want your business, they will speak with you! Scammers love to hide behind texts and messaging.
The Silent Treatment – if you get it from your rental agent/contact, be very afraid.
What Site Number did you Rent? If you don’t know – DON’T GIVE THEM MONEY.
Vehicle Pass Required to enter Ocean Lakes. What? They didn’t tell you…? Yes, we are a gated-community and every vehicle must have an official pass associated with your site. You must fill out paperwork (BTW – this is done online through our official site).
Cyber criminals Don’t Respect Trademarks. Drives us crazy! Sandy Starfish deserves more respect, and so do our guests. Scammers steal our stuff, too! Our logos, our photos, our good name.
Paperwork. Sometimes the thieves steal our paperwork and even make up “official” forms. Really?! (Yes.)
Beware of payment options and last-minute calls about additional charges and using – Paypal, Venmo, Chime. Use a credit card.
Seriously, booking directly through Ocean Lakes Properties is the only Scam Free Guarantee.
If you choose to rent via a private homeowner or online site other than OceanLakesProperties.com, understand you are entering a private agreement between you and the homeowner and this limits what Ocean Lakes can do to address issues or a scam.
Can You Spot a Fake?
Grab your glasses and channel your inner sleuth. Here’s some things to look for:
- Scammers don’t [generally] win Spelling Bees. Watch for typos, grammar, weird spaces between words and sentences. Even the domain name can be misspelled (we hate when they leave the “s” off “lakes” in our name).
- The devil’s in the details. Scroll to the bottom of the website page to the footer. Look at the “Terms and Conditions” page and the “Privacy Policy” page. Scammers often copy this legal content from other websites. They forget to edit things, make things up, create businesses at addresses. There should be a legitimate address and contact (that you can call or email).
- Look for the “S” in https:// in the url (right before the “www”). Having an “https” is not a guarantee, but it indicates an SSL certificate, a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection for security.
- Does something look… familiar? Watch for duplicate listings with the same photos and house info you have seen in other rental listings. If you are a bargain hunter (or in a last-minute desperate search) you may see repeated content on sites, pages, and groups. Hint: they “borrowed from the real thing.” You may also notice different contact info and pricing for the same house.
- The magic site…it appears one day, is “down” the next day… then reappears! We’d like to make it vanish all together. Cybercriminals have code issues too, they get reported [often by us] and pop back up again. They LOVE to play “whack-a-mole” and get paid to do it. If you get an ERROR page, or see a bunch of weird text (or html code), that’s a red flag.
- Avoid ads! The most legit sites tend to be organic – not paid. If you search “ocean lakes” or “ocean lakes rentals” the paid ads are at the very top of the search results page. Yes, criminals advertise online, too. TIP: look for the telltale little box that says “AD.” Scroll down the page past the ads. Hopefully, you see OceanLakes.com or OceanLakeProperties.com.
Scam Victim Resources
You can report the site that scammed you! Both the FBI and FTC act as a “clearing house” and reports are used to spot trends. Obviously, you want to alert your credit card company and/or bank.