From Airbnb and Vrbo to Vacasa and Booking.com, the vacation rental business has undoubtedly boomed in recent years .

Although many travelers swear by short-term rentals due to their space, privacy and price options, these types of accommodations have also gotten bad press, thanks to reports of fraudsters using fake listings to swindle families out of their hard-earned vacation dollars.

Last summer, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody both issued warnings to travelers about vacation rental fraud and urged would-be-renters to stay vigilant as they assess listings.

Vacation rental scams can happen on any online platform, travel blogger Rocky Trifari told HuffPost. Scammers are constantly testing new methods of deception with hopes of luring in unsuspecting victims.

Of course, the vast majority of vacation renters experience straightforward and scam-free trips. But its always best to go into booking travel with your critical-thinking cap on.

To help would-be guests, HuffPost asked travel experts to break down the common indicators of a potential vacation rental scam. They also offered advice for avoiding fake listings and dealing with the aftermath if you fall victim.

The listing seems too good to be true.

First and foremost, if a listing seems too good to be true, then it most probably is, said Aiden Joseph, senior editor at The Broke Backpacker .

As you search for vacation accommodations, you can quickly get a sense of the standard pricing for different areas. Take note of listings that seem like an impossibly good value for the location or that offer luxury features not in line with the cost.

Whether it is the general price or the facilities on offer, I would highly recommend checking reviews for the property and host to truly grasp whether this deal is genuine, said Blake Walsh, a travel expert at Travel Lens . Trust your gut!

The host pushes for external communication.

There are a few signs to look out for when booking a vacation rental, one of the main ones being the host pushing for external communication, Walsh said. It is important to keep all communications on the booking site to ensure the best security and safety for your details and information.

A host might offer to share their phone number or a WhatsApp link just before or after you arrive at the property for ease of communication. But if they insist on talking solely outside the booking platform from the beginning, thats a red flag.

They request direct payment.

Just as you should be wary of requests for external communication, you should not agree to send direct payments outside the booking platform.

A lot of times, scammers will ask guests to pay them directly for the trip via Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, a wire or a bank transfer, so its important to book straight through the listings owner, such as Evolve, Airbnb or Vrbo, using a secure method, said Mike Keenan, general counsel at the vacation rental company Evolve . Scammers will offer a variety of reasons for why they need to be paid directly, so we recommend travelers always stay vigilant and only book and pay through established platforms.