Diane is the suspicious one in our marriage. She thought I was too trusting. She was right.
Scam #1: The Facebook Marketplace RV Park
Someone listed a "private lakefront campsite" on Facebook Marketplace. Beautiful photos, great price, direct booking through Venmo. We sent $200 for three nights. Showed up and the "campsite" was a random person's unmowed backyard with no lake within 5 miles. The phone number was disconnected. $200 gone.
Lesson: Never pay for campsite through Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App. Use the park's official website or a reputable booking platform. If it seems too good to be true it absolutely is.
Scam #2: The "Free Night" Timeshare Pitch
Lesson: Free is never free. If theyre offering something for nothing, you are the product.
Near-Misses
Fake campground review sites that redirect to booking pages for completely different parks. Ive seen this three times — the photos show a beautiful resort and the actual park is a gravel lot.
Roving "mobile mechanics" who show up at campgrounds offering discounted RV service. Two people in our RV club had shoddy work done that caused more problems than it solved.
Phone calls claiming to be from your RV warranty company about your "expiring coverage." These are always scams. Always.
Be smart out there. The RV community is overwhelmingly honest and welcoming. But where there are travelers there are people looking to take advantage. Diane was right — a healthy dose of skepticism goes a long way.
Comments (17)
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This is what I tell every new RVer at the campground.
Good practical tips here. The basics matter more than people realize.
YES. This is why I keep coming back to RVParks.
this is underrated advice honestly
solid advice right here
Never thought about it this way before. Good stuff.
solid advice right here
Good practical tips here. The basics matter more than people realize.
Thanks for the kind words! Means a lot.
Never thought about it this way before. Good stuff.
Appreciate you reading! Happy trails.
Just started pop-up camping and this is incredibly helpful for a newbie.
Finally someone says it! Been thinking this for months.
Great point — I should have included that!
Ha, reminds me of our first year out. We made every mistake in the book.
My Airstream has been thru worse and this advice would have helped back then.
Did this solo last month in the Ozarks. Felt so empowered.