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Chile Police Shut Down Fake Reñaca Lodging Site as Probe Finds More Than 200 Argentine Families Defrauded

The scheme posed as a reputable rental by copying a real listing and leveraging platform trust signals.

Overview

  • The owner of the real Reñaca Holiday filed a complaint, and Chile’s investigative police are leading the case and have disabled the fraudulent website.
  • Victims say they paid in full weeks in advance for year‑end stays and only discovered the deception when check‑in details never arrived or on reaching the property.
  • Real estate agent Valentina Funes estimates the tally of affected families at more than 200, largely Argentines, with individual losses around US$1,300 reported.
  • The impersonators lifted photos and reviews from the genuine Holiday Park on Booking, used a WhatsApp number showing Meta verification, and promoted the offer with paid Instagram ads active since about August.
  • An anonymous note on the fake site apologized and promised repayment, while victims are seeking bank chargebacks, preserving evidence, and filing reports with the PDI.