A dream New Year’s Eve getaway to the Gold Coast has turned into a devastating nightmare for a young New Zealand tourist and her nine friends, who were scammed out of a staggering $10,000 for non-existent accommodation.
The group arrived in Queensland, suitcases in tow, only to discover the luxurious waterfront home they’d booked was part of an elaborate fraud.
Georgia Pemberton, from New Zealand, had meticulously planned the trip, securing what appeared to be a stunning Gold Coast property through BookaBatch – a popular online platform, part of the Expedia Group, known for holiday rentals.
The listing showcased a beautiful house on the water, seemingly perfect for ten people to welcome in the New Year.
MORE NEWS
‘Nailed it’: Expat’s Aussie gesture goes viral
Share house surge: Surprise group now dominates
‘Try me’: Landlord threatens bond over unmown lawn
New Zealand woman Georgia Pemberton and her nine friends were scammed out of $10,0000 for a holiday rental that did not exist. Source: georgiiapemberton/TikTok
“It was $10,000 for eight days, which…was more on the expensive site but if it could sleep 10 people, that’s amazing,” Ms Pemberton told her followers on TikTok, “so I paid the first deposit back in June or July and the communication with this place, the host, was normal. Everything was normal.”
The remaining balance was paid on December 22, the very day the group flew into the Gold Coast, eagerly anticipating their holiday.
However, their excitement quickly dissolved into disbelief upon arrival.
Expecting check-in instructions or to be greeted by the host, Ms Pemberton knocked on the door of the advertised property.
The 10 friends were hoping to celebrate New Years in their fancy Gold Coast rental.
To her horror, she was met by the actual homeowner, who had never listed her residence as a holiday rental.
“This girl comes out, and she’s like, “Hi, can I help you?” And I said, “Yeah, we’ve booked this place on BookaBatch, here’s the photos.”
She goes, “I don’t do BookaBatch, what do you mean?,” Ms Pemberton said.
“My heart literally sank to my ass. What do you mean you don’t do BookaBatch? Who did I just pay $10,000 to?
“I showed her the photos, and she goes, “Holy s***. That is my house. I live here. This is my family home”.”
The homeowner said she had previously tried to sell her house and that the scammer had taken the photos from realestate.com and used them to create the rental listing.
While this was the first time someone had come to her home from BookaBatch, she claimed she had problems in the past and had an idea of who was behind the scam.
Ms Pemberton says her heart sank when the door opened. Source: georgiiapemberton/TikTok
“The girl that came out was the same girl that was the host in the BookaBatch pictures. So this scammer has taken photos of the woman from her WhatsApp and has pretended to be her,” Ms Pemberton said.
“The girl actually lives here as well. So…someone was more so scamming her, not so much people. Like, it was personal.
“Anyway, she shooed us off hair property and fair enough…because literally 10 of us turned up with all of these suitcases and it’s the busiest time of the year over here, so there’s nowhere (else) to stay.”
Left stranded with nowhere to go, Ms Pemberton and her friends found themselves “rolling around our suitcases” on the streets of the Gold Coast.
“We went to this park, and just sat there and was like, ‘What are we gonna do?’” she recalled.
The gravity of the situation quickly set in.
“I started to freak out a little bit because I’m like, firstly, where’s the $10,000, secondly, when I sat down and to think about it, I’m like, Oh my gosh, we actually got scammed,” Ms Pemberton said.
“Thirdly, we’re just rolling around our suitcases in a different country, with nowhere to go, nowhere to sleep.”
Thankfully, one of her friends managed to contact BookaBatch, explaining their dire predicament.
Thankfully she had understanding friends. Source: georgiiapemberton/TikTok
The online platform swiftly responded, providing the group with hotel accommodation for a couple of nights, allowing them time to source and organise alternative arrangements.
By Saturday, they had secured a new place to stay through Airbnb for the remainder of their holiday.
Despite the resolution, the experience left Ms Pemberton feeling “sick to her stomach.”
She issued a stark warning to other travellers: “Moral of the story, be careful because there are genuinely people out there who do this and you never think…this would ever happen to you,” she said.
“I genuinely felt sick to my stomach thinking that someone has just taken $10,000. Luckily, I am with an amazing group of people who are very calm and chill.
“But I just feel like something could have gone really bad. It was giving dodge, it was giving run! But we’re safe and we’re okay.”
This incident serves as a crucial reminder for anyone booking holiday accommodation online to exercise extreme caution and verify listings thoroughly, especially during peak travel periods.
English (US) · 