Warning over deposit scams when renting self-drive cars online

A planned family trip to Vung Tau nearly turned into a rental scam for Trương Minh Đức, a 34-year-old Ho Chi Minh City resident.

With hotels already booked for the Sept. 2 holiday, Đức searched a social-media group called “Self-drive car rentals in Ho Chi Minh City.” One purported owner offered a two-day rental for 1.4 million dong, including charging fees and two-way home delivery.

The seller later asked Đức to send photographs of his identity card and driving licence and transfer a 300,000-dong deposit to hold the vehicle. Đức became suspicious when the bank account name did not match the owner’s name. The seller said he was only an employee and that the account belonged to his boss, then sent a screenshot of another customer’s transfer as proof of reliability.

Đức decided not to pay and contacted another rental provider. That provider offered a smaller vehicle for 900,000 dong, with free charging for the first 100 kilometres each day and a stated rate of 600 dong per 1% of battery capacity afterward. The provider also requested a 200,000-dong deposit and sent a video of a vehicle fleet to demonstrate credibility.

The account describes how the pressure of an imminent trip, low prices and assurances sent through messaging apps can complicate checks before payment. Đức’s initial decision not to transfer the deposit prevented that transaction from going ahead.

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I became suspicious, so I decided not to transfer the deposit. Instead, I looked for another car-rental company.