Ocean City police are warning folks who plan to rent a vacation spot and haven't gotten around to it yet to beware of online scammers trying to steal your money.

This is similar to the non-vacation rental scam we've chatted about here, where crooks pose as landlords advertising great deals to get you to send your deposit their way. The Ocean City police say they've received two complaints from people who paid several hundred dollars for craigslist-advertised "rentals" that did not materialize.

The agency isn't hopeful the money will be recovered because officials believe the fake landlords are outside the country. The police department's recommendation: Don't wire money -- real landlords should accept a credit card or personal check.

"Also, verify where you will go and whom you will see to pick up the rental key," the police said in a press release this week. "Make sure that the person and location are valid. Finally, if you have any suspicious concerns, follow your instinct. Even if you have to pay a fee, you are often safer dealing with a licensed real estate agent."

What makes the typical rental scam especially sneaky is that the baddies have swiped photos of actual local properties -- often ones for sale -- to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative.

Come across any rental -- or for-sale -- scams lately?