Portugal’s GNR police has issued a warning about scams involving the rental and purchase of holiday homes as the peak vacation season approaches.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the military police force said it recorded 725 fraud cases related to property rentals and purchases in 2025. Although this represents a slight drop of 5% compared to 762 cases in 2024, authorities say the problem remains widespread.
According to the data, the Algarve recorded the highest number of cases, with 153 incidents, accounting for around 21% of the national total. The districts of Setúbal (91) and Lisbon (86) followed, trailed by Braga and Porto (72 each), Aveiro (46), Leiria (41), Santarém (38), Castelo Branco (21) and Viseu (20).
These kinds of crimes are increasing in northern and inland districts, GNR police say, highlighting the surge in cases in districts such as Portalegre – where the number of cases increased from just four in 2024 to 10 in 2025. Viana do Castelo also registered an 89% surge in reported cases (nine in 2024 to 17 in 2025), much like Leiria (23 to 41) and Castelo Branco (12 to 21).
Authorities say the scams typically involve the use of real property photos to create fake listings, often advertised at prices below market value to attract victims.
The goal is to persuade potential renters to make an upfront payment to secure a booking, usually without visiting the property or meeting the advertiser in person.
In many cases, the fraud is only discovered months later, when the advertiser becomes unreachable or when victims arrive at the address and find that the property either does not exist or is not available for rent, the police force says.
Thus, GNR is advising the public to be cautious of deals that appear too good to be true, to visit properties in person whenever possible, and to verify listings by checking if the same images appear across multiple platforms with different details.
It also recommends asking for identification from the advertiser, confirming that the bank account holder matches the name provided, and avoiding immediate payments under pressure from claims of high demand.
Between 2024 and 2025, GNR police detained three suspects linked to these schemes.
