Whenever you report something illegal, the last thing you’d expect is to receive a fine for speaking out. Unfortunately, that’s what happened to a Florida tenant who was renting out a property from a Booking.com host. According to their post on Reddit, they discovered a hidden camera in their rental, which is illegal under Florida Statute § 934.03 for private spaces. However, after they submitted their complaint to Booking.com, they received a response claiming that the host had retaliated by charging them $1,000 for ‘alleged damages.’
Based on the Reddit post’s title, the $1K fine from the property owner didn’t come in until after the hidden camera report occurred. “Booking.com’s ignoring us,” OP stated, meaning that they’re not getting the support they need despite a host extorting them for money. For clarification, the host had the website send the renter an email listing all the so-called damages that were done, but OP claims that they committed no such things during their stay. Not to mention, the Florida tenant stated that they took pictures upon arrival and before leaving, meaning they have evidence to support any claims against damages.
“That email screams scam to me,” a commenter suggests, encouraging the OP to find a legitimate email or phone contact on Booking.com to verify the sender’s email address. Others chime in, saying that it’s very fishy that the property owner uses “1000 USD” instead of the more formal $1,000.00 in the email, as well as inconsistency in the usage of “I” and “we” throughout the message. “Anyone asking for money while using the word kindly is a dead giveaway that it’s a scam!!” remarks a Reddit user. “It has all the red flags,” another agrees.
On the other hand, a few users agree with a commenter who suggests that the email is a scare tactic from the Booking.com host for revenge against the OP for reporting the hidden camera. In other words, the owner faked it. Nevertheless, everything in the comment section is just speculation; however, it is very dubious that the email sender would mention the complaint about the hidden camera if Booking.com hadn’t informed them.
Whatever the case, OP should definitely consider going to the police. Not only do they have evidence against the owner’s allegations regarding the damages, but they also can accuse or even sue the host for the illegal hidden camera.
