A group of ten friends from New Zealand faced a holiday nightmare after discovering the luxury Gold Coast accommodation they had paid $10,000 for was a complete fabrication.
Dream Holiday Turns Into a Street-Side Nightmare
Georgia Pemberton organised the trip to Queensland's Gold Coast to celebrate New Year's Eve with her friends. She used the popular platform BookaBatch, part of the Expedia Group, to secure what appeared to be a stunning waterfront house for eight days. The group split the substantial $10,000 cost, reasoning it was peak season.
Communication with the supposed host was smooth, and an initial deposit was paid without alarm. The remaining balance was due on December 22, the very day the group flew into Australia. Expecting check-in details upon arrival, the reality was a brutal shock.
The Devastating Discovery at the Door
When Ms Pemberton knocked on the door of the property, she was met by the confused homeowner, who had never listed her family home as a holiday rental. "I showed her the photos, and she goes, 'Holy s***. That is my house. I live here'," Ms Pemberton recounted.
The scammer had stolen photos from a past real estate listing and even used images of the actual homeowner from WhatsApp to create a convincing fake host profile on BookaBatch. The legitimate homeowner revealed she had suspicions about who was behind the scam but this was the first time victims had arrived at her doorstep.
Stranded Abroad and Seeking Solutions
The group was suddenly left on the street with their luggage. "We are literally in the streets, like rolling around our suitcases," Ms Pemberton said. "I started to freak out... we're just rolling around our suitcases in a different country, with nowhere to go."
After contacting BookaBatch, the platform provided emergency hotel accommodation for a couple of nights. The friends eventually secured a genuine rental through Airbnb for the remainder of their stay. The experience left Ms Pemberton feeling "sick to her stomach" and vowing never to use BookaBatch again.
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." Daily Mail has contacted BookaBatch's parent company, Expedia Group, for comment.
