Following recent scam attempts on travellers, FlipKey chief operating officer Jeremiah Gall has declared the company employs a strict verification process that assures all homes on FlipKey are represented by real and trustworthy owners.

Mr Gall confirmed the email account of one of the rental property owners that used FlipKey was compromised, and not the FlipKey account.

“When the issue was reported to us, this owner was immediately suspended from FlipKey since they have a responsibility to safeguard the personal email they provide to the traveller,” Mr Gall said.

The travel website has seen scammers pose as legitimate property owners, emailing travellers who show interest in a holiday rental.

Following the incident that saw Nina Dela Cruz from Sydney lose almost AUD$2000 on a bogus Bali villa, FlipKey immediately notified any travellers that had contacted the user, warning them to be cautious communicating with this owner directly because their personal email was not secure.

While the owner is not engaging in fraudulent activity, their personal email was compromised in a case of identity fraud.

FlipKey are continuing to work with this owner to resolve any issues with affected travellers.

“We care deeply about the experience of all travellers using FlipKey to plan their trip and we'll continue to work with this traveller and owner to resolve the situation and make sure this traveller's vacation and funds have not been lost,” Mr Gall concluded.