Resort deal too good to be true? How to avoid falling victim to online property scams

Angelica Panganiban recently shared a sobering warning to resort tourists, saying a Facebook page is pretending to be Mangrove Resort Subic and illegally using their name and pictures to scam guests. The establishment is owned and run by her husband Gregg Homan and his family. 

Unfortunately, the Panganiban-Homans were victimized by online property scammers using a tried-and-tested con.

According to their lawyers, a fake page bearing Mangrove's name, branding, and other content responded to inquiries from several unsuspecting individuals, then accepted payments "with the clear intent to defraud." 

This is just one of the many property scams being carried out online. Fraudsters repurpose a Facebook page with thousands of followers and turn it into a fake account using content from an existing resort or rental unit. The fraudster may even make their fake page more attractive by offering bookings at a fraction of the actual price. 

Because the fake account has already established its "credibility" with followers, it appears legitimate to potential customers. After all, who wouldn't be attracted to a discounted booking at a beautiful resort where hundreds have enjoyed their stay?

Online property scams

PhilSTAR L!fe spoke to two individuals to draw a clearer picture of an online property scam. One was looking to book a vacation rental; the other is a property owner of an Airbnb unit in Batangas. Both fell victim to scammers in 2025.

Shermen Bataller and her partner were looking to book a room at a beach resort when Bataller saw a Facebook ad for a resort in San Fernando, La Union. The page had 80,000 likes and 85,000 followers. 

When Bataller reached out to inquire about a room, and throughout her online transactions with the page, she said everything went smoothly. There was no indication of shady behavior, especially since the page admin showed them "legitimate proof" that they were credible. 

"They presented a resort ID and had pictures of their accommodations," Bataller told L!fe. "It felt like we were talking to a real agent of the property."

Once they had pinned down the details of their stay, the page admin asked them to pay the full amount of P18,000 through a bank transfer. Bataller did. 

"But then, they asked us to send an advance [payment] for a deposit of P10,000," she said. That was when the couple started to fear that they were interacting with a scammer. 

They did not send the advance. The scammer stopped all communications then and blocked Bataller. 

"Please report 'yung page. Nagbayad kami 18k, nawala na lang na parang bula. Iba-block ka nila after masend pera," Bataller wrote in a post she shared in a Facebook group for transient rooms and houses for rent. 

Pia Faustino, a property owner renting out an Airbnb property in Batangas, learned that someone was using her business for fraudulent activities when someone messaged their official Airbnb profile asking them if the Facebook page was affiliated with them.

"The person then sent a link to a Facebook page that had copied all the content off our Airbnb page," Faustino told L!fe.

Posing as an agent of the property, the fraudster asked victims to transfer payments to a BPI Vybe account. It all appeared legitimate as a handful of potential customers fell victim to the scam. 

"The scammer made the Facebook page attractive with lowered prices compared to our Airbnb profile—they were charging just P7,500 for 15 people," said Faustino. 

Believing they were dealing with a real manager or agent, victimized customers then arrived on the date of their booking to find that it was all a scam. 

"We had no choice but to explain that that wasn't us and turn them away if we had guests already staying at the property," said Faustino. 

One victim went to the rental two days before their booking to confirm it personally after the scammer ghosted them upon receiving their money. 

"The scammer had repurposed a Facebook page that used to be a K-pop fan page that had 3,000 followers. They just changed the name and all the content, keeping the followers and making them look credible," said Faustino. 

She and her partners reported the numerous incidents to BPI, but all the bank could do was cancel the accounts. The scammers would just open new ones. 

The group also reported the fake page to Facebook, but it took the social networking platform four to five weeks to take down the page. 

"Before they did, a handful of people had already been scammed by the page," Faustino said. 

Following the incidents, Faustino and her partners announced on their Instagram page that customers were not to go through transactions outside of the property's official Instagram and Airbnb accounts. 

"Go through the official Airbnb or Agoda platforms," Faustino advised potential customers. 

What to do if you were scammed

Victims of online property scams have a few options available to them to rectify their situation, according to Atty. Neil Borja, professor of criminal law at the University of the Philippines, Adamson University, and Polytechnic University of the Philippines. 

They "can file a criminal complaint of cyber-estafa with the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group without payment of fees," Borja told L!fe. 

Include the following in the complaint: copies of, and links to, the scammer's profile, posts, and advertisements made posing as the property owner or manager, conversation records, bank details provided by the scammer, and the victim's proof of payment. 

"These documents are needed to show that a scam really occurred, providing our authorities with sufficient basis to investigate and prosecute," said Borja. 

If funds have already been deposited into the scammer's account, victims can ask for assistance from the receiving bank or the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which may enforce account freezes or even recover funds. However, Borja warned, "Prompt action and full recovery would depend on the circumstances."

How to avoid online property scams

The law professor also suggested several ways the public can avoid falling victim to online property scams. 

Be wary of deals that appear too good to be true, particularly those that advertise unusually low rates. "Vendors" who unreasonably pressure customers into making urgent payments or repeatedly emphasize limited availability may be inadvertently signaling potential red flags. 

Verify legitimate businesses by checking what independent sources say about them, including credible social media pages, official websites, and genuine customer reviews. 

"Basic business details, such as verifiable contact information, proof of registration and government clearances, and official billing statements, should also be checked," added Borja. "Real-time verification, like video calls showing the property and confirming bookings via official channels, further reduces risk."

Although the scams mentioned above were conducted on Facebook, Borja said Meta may not be held liable. 

"Under the Electronic Commerce Act, platforms like Meta may be treated as service providers that simply host and disseminate user content. They are generally not liable for scams committed by users, unless they know about the unlawful content and fail to act on it, or if they maliciously take part in it," Borja told L!fe. 

"At any rate, liability rests with the individual offenders, subject to the provisions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act," he added. 

L!fe reached out to the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police, the Cybercrime Division of the National Bureau of Investigation, and Meta for comments, but has yet to hear back.