The owner of a Kelowna vacation home has put out a warning to Craigslist users after finding a fake ad offering to rent out her family’s property for a fraction of the actual price.

The owner, who asked not to be identified, rents out the Barona Beach condo for about $300 per night, but recently discovered a scammer had duplicated her ad and listed it for $110.

She’s reported the ad, titled “Best Value for the Dollar at Barona Beach,” to RCMP and posted a message on Craigslist in hopes of alerting potential victims before it’s too late.

“If you respond to their ad, this person will send you photos which are all my photos that they have stolen from my ad,” she wrote. “I feel extremely violated.”

“At this time of year, there isn’t any condo on the property at Barona Beach that is under $200,” she added.

This is the second year in a row scammers have used the scenic lakefront condos to dupe families. Last summer, Barona Beach homeowner Ryan Hartzell found a similar trap set using his property, also offered at a reduced price.

Hartzell phoned the poster, posing as an interested renter.

“He seemed to have a bit of information, enough information that if you didn’t know the resort or didn’t know the actual unit you might believe what he was telling you,” he said.

He alerted Craigslist and had the ad removed, but it was reposted the next day.

Aoife O’Neill, who helps rent out Barona Beach properties through MYB Reservations, was alerted to the scam last summer and did everything she could to prevent anyone from being victimized.

Unfortunately, one family of four showed up ready to start their vacation, and O’Neill was forced to break the news.

“There was a young family with their two young kids and I had to let them know that unfortunately they had been scammed, and we had nowhere for them to stay,” O’Neill said.

“I didn’t have any space here, we tried at the nearby resorts and Holiday Inn and nothing was available. Unfortunately they had to turn away and go home.”

The Better Business Bureau suggests renting from sites like Vacation Rentals By Owner, where property owners pay to be listed. They also urge renters to be realistic about listings that appear too good to be true.

The Bureau recommends renters always pay with credit cards, and walk away if the owner insists on a direct deposit.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Shannon Paterson