Booking holidays outside of official sites has soared in popularity with the rise of Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. These platforms are filled with people offering their homes to tourists, normally at slashed prices.
But sadly, every now and again, scammers use these sites to catch unsuspecting holidaymakers. This is exactly what happened to Natasha Shek, from Lingfield in Surrey, who now wants to warn other people against the risks.
She paid a £220 deposit to stay at a converted barn property to celebrate her mum's 60th birthday - but sadly lost the money after it turned out the Cornish venue didn't exist, reports Cornwall Live.
